


SasuNaru: book of oneshots

by Uzuchiha1023



Category: Naruto
Genre: Bottom Uzumaki Naruto, Fluff, M/M, Protective Uchiha Sasuke, SasuNaru - Freeform, Smart Uzumaki Naruto, Top Uchiha Sasuke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:13:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 52,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23506657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uzuchiha1023/pseuds/Uzuchiha1023
Summary: Mostly fluffy oneshots, maybe twoshots. I do take requests, and I LOVE COMMENTS!
Relationships: Gaara/Hyuuga Neji, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Hyuuga Hinata/Inuzuka Kiba, Inuzuka Kiba/Nara Shikamaru, Nara Shikamaru/Temari, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 91
Kudos: 156





	1. Done With the Fans

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, Let's get this show on the road. A big thanks to my sister Foxfire16 for giving me a shoutout! If you haven't heard of her, and you like Bakudeku, and kakaIru, GO CHECK IT OUT!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke might not be the stuck up bitch we think he his. In fact, he's so done with running from fan girls, that he's gonna get himself a girl of his own... Finally... Sort of.

"talking"  
'thoughts'  
*Kyuubi*  
""Two people talking at once""  
°~°|°~°|°~°|°~°|°~°|°~°|°~°|°~°|°~°

"You're in denial."  
"... you're joking."  
"I'm not."  
"That's actually what he said?"  
Sakura sighed. "Yes."  
Her best friend snorted. "When are you gonna give up on Sasuke-kun?"  
"I'm not, Ino pig!"  
"He's obviously into me."  
"He is not! He hates you!"  
A yawn sounded from behind the two kunoichi, drawing their attention.  
"What do you want Shikamaru?" Ino sighed.  
"Sasuke announced something troublesome this morning."  
"He did?!"  
"What did he say?!"  
"Relax. He was tired of all the fangirls. I guess after nineteen years of living with them it's fair. At any rate, he's going to finally ask someone out."  
"He is?!"  
"What?!"  
""WHEN?!""  
"Bothersome. Tomorrow, on top of the great stone faces."  
The teenaged girls exchanged a look.  
Shikamaru held up a hand.  
"Don't. He's already chosen somebody."  
Ino frowned. "Who?"  
"Dunno, but I have my suspicions."

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder and sighed.  
"Go away Sakura."  
The pinkette didn't even try to hide that she'd been stalking him. She came right out and started walking beside him.  
"So, after all these years, you finally chose someone."  
"What's it to you?"  
"Seriously?"  
"It isn't you."  
"Is it Ino?"  
"She's the closest."  
"But it isn't her."  
"...no."  
"Then I don't have any qualms on the matter."  
Sasuke stopped, staring at his teammate.  
"Didn't you just tell me that you were in love with me this morning?"  
Sakura grinned. "For old times sake."  
"You're a bitch."  
"And you're an asshole."  
Sasuke snorted.  
"So who's it gonna be?"  
"... You'll see."  
Sakura watched her teammate walk away, back to the Uchiha compound. Smirking, the girl swung around, away from her apartment, starting down the road to her other teammate's house.

Naruto was in the middle of making a delicious ramen cup when a door slamming open made him jerk back, nearly dropping his treat. He only knew one person who barged in like that. Well, two, but one was busy with Hokage stuff so...  
"Dammit Sakura-chan!"  
"Hey Naruto!"  
"What do you want?!"  
"Your boyfriend is gonna ask you out tomorrow."  
Naruto froze. "...huh?"  
"Your-"  
"Yeah, I heard you, I just don't understand you."  
"Oh, Sasuke is asking someone out tomorrow. He said Ino was the closest to them, but not them. Blond hair and blue eyes much?"  
Naruto lowered his eyes. "Stop it Sakura."  
"Don't give me that! It's not that unthinkable, Naruto! You're his best friend!"  
"I just... I've liked him for a really long time. I don't ever want to feel... Like I felt when he left, again."  
"But he came back! Because of you!"  
"Just, don't let me get my hopes up. Please."  
The pinkette gazed sadly at her teammate.  
"He told you to meet him at the great stone faces tomorrow morning, didn't he?"  
"Er, yeah. He has a question."  
"Don't be so sure about rejection, Naruto. I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow."  
"See ya..." 

*It's not impossible, you know.*  
"Nobody asked you."  
*Oh, don't be that way kit. I've been with you your whole life, and you still seem to forget that I can read your mind.*  
"That's because you can't."  
*...You're mean*  
"You're old."  
*Fatty*  
"Furry."  
*Fuck you.*  
"No thanks."  
*Ugh, don't be gross.*  
"Go away."  
*Fine.*  
"..." Naruto waited. "Kyuubi?"  
Nothing.  
"Fine," he sighed. Be that way."

Naruto fidgeted as he made his way up to the great stone faces. His mind was racing almost as much as his heart, but he refused to run. The slower he got there the better. His whole body was on overdrive, but he was dreading the meeting to come. Then, all train of thought stopped as a Sakura blossom drifted across his vision.  
"That's... Odd. Those shouldn't be in bloom yet. They weren't yes.....ter...day."  
The path ahead was covered in cherry blossoms, and lined with the beautiful trees in full bloom.  
"The hell?" Naruto followed the path, curiosity overpowering 'fuck no.'  
As he reached the top, his hands clapped over his mouth and his eyes flew wide open. Roughly ten feet away from him, surrounded by swirling Sakura blossoms, stood... Sasuke, but he wasn't in his Shinobi outfit. He was in the outfit he wore when he went rogue. The purple cloth tied with the same colored rope, and the gray, long sleeved shirt that revealed his... Impressive chest. Right down to the black boot-legging things. He was visibly relaxed, hand resting on the black sword at his side.  
"Sasuke."  
The Uchiha smirked.  
"How... How the hell did you get the trees to fucking bloom?!"  
Sasuke looked taken aback. Then, he let a small smile grace his lips. Then, he gave in, and nearly doubled over laughing.  
"Gah! Sasuke? Are you alright?"  
Sasuke righted himself, still chuckling, and walked up to his friend.  
"Dobe. I spend three months learning a blooming jutsu and practicing lines, and the first thing you say, isn't 'wow this is beautiful', or 'how did you do this', but 'how the hell did you get the trees to fucking bloom!'"  
Naruto shifted, glancing around. For the first time, he noticed that they were completely surrounded by... Well, everyone! Some of the girls looked shocked, but more than half were nodding, or exchanging money.  
His attention wandered back to the boy in front of him.  
"You... Did this... For me?"  
"I did."  
"Wh-why?"  
"You're a huge idiot, that's why."  
"What?"  
Sasuke sighed. "I like you, moron. I have for... A really long time."  
That's when it hit the blond. His conversation with Sakura yesterday. This was... Oh no. Oh God. Naruto felt his throat close. Before he could overthink it, he grabbed Sasuke, yanked him in, and kissed him, hard. It was obvious that the older boy was surprised, but he was quick to respond, immediately dominating the kiss, and running his tongue over the blond's bottom lip. Naruto didn't bother to hold back a low moan, but yanked away as suddenly as he'd pulled in. Sasuke actually stumbled backwards, and looked up wide-eyed.  
"What the hell was-"  
"That was incase I never get to do it again." When Sasuke opened his mouth to ask something, Naruto drew back his fist, and slammed it into the tall boy's face. The punch knocked Sasuke back a few steps, and shock was written plainly on his stupid, beautiful face. "And that, was incase this is your sick take on a joke."  
Somewhere in the crowd, Sakura cringed, and smacked her mentor, who had snorted loudly.  
"So, the brat's got bite. Serves pretty-boy right."  
Sasuke stood up, and worked his jaw.  
"Damn, Dobe." Meeting the blond's defensive glare with a cool smirk, he shook his head. "Fuck, if you don't say yes I'm gonna go jump off a cliff. You're the only person I know who would deck me in the face while I'm trying to ask you out. Yeah, you're the one alright. Can I ask you out now? Or do you want to hit me again?"  
Naruto stepped back eyes wide.  
"You actually- this isn't- and I just- oh my god!"  
"Sooooo.... Will you be my girlfriend?"  
Naruto shot a glare at the smirking Uchiha.  
"Say it right and I'll think about it."  
Sasuke sighed, stepping in and grabbing the front of Naruto's jacket.  
"Fuck it, I love you. Go out with me Dobe."  
Naruto 'hmmed' and offered a devilish smirk. "If you insist on a lifetime of annoyance, ramen, and Uchiha Naruto, then really you're too far gone to talk you out of anything." He whispered against Sasuke's lips, relishing in the older boy's shudder, and whispered curse of, "fuck, I like the sound of that last one." before he yanked the blond in, and slammed their lips together. This time, when Sasuke licked the younger's bottom lip, Naruto opened his mouth and let the Uchiha have his way with him, humming, and feeling the low groan it induced rake through his body.  
"Alright boys!" Sakura snickered. "Hinata's about to have a heart attack here, get a room!"  
Sasuke pulled back reluctantly, growling out, "gladly."  
"What?!" Naruto looked to Sakura for help, who waved with a knowing smile. "Wait, Sasuke, shouldn't we go on a date first?"  
"Do you know how long I've been waiting for this?" The dark haired boy pulled the poor blond with him. "Tell you what, if you can walk tomorrow, we'll go on a date." That earned a squeak of fear from Naruto.  
"Oi, how come I'm the girl?!"  
"You really wanna fight me for dominance right now Dobe?"  
"N-not really."  
"Didn't think so."  
And, somewhere in the crowd, a fuming Neji held a definately unconscious Hinata off the ground.

__________________________________________________

Thank you for reading! Leave a kudos if you liked it, and please!!!!! Comment!


	2. Rainy Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto has a love/hate relationship with rainy days. The villagers like to push their luck, but he's found that extraordinary things happen when it's raining.
> 
> ..... Also, Naruto has NO boundaries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOOOHOOOOO Alright! The first chapter was read, and I got kudos! They liked it. *sheepish swoon*

It was raining. That wasn't a bad thing really. It was sunny more often than not in Konoha, so when it did rain, people welcomed the days they wouldn't have to go out and water all their plants. Naruto liked the rain, but he hated what came with it. It would start any second now. He flinched as something banged off the window he was looking out. Glancing down to see who threw the pebble, he caught sight of a mother patting her seven year old on the head. The kid must've thrown it then. Sighing, Naruto wandered away from the window. He didn't know why exactly people came after him worse on rainy days. Weren't they supposed to stay inside when it was cold and wet out there? Then again, maybe that was just it. They knew he'd be in, so they'd come to vandalize, or throw things at him. Perhaps they were just bored. Probably a bit of both. Naruto knew why they were after him, of course. The demon inside of him stirred as the blond shifted his attention to him.  
*What?*  
"Do you want something to eat?" Naruto was very proud of the fact that he'd recently learned to take items with him when he went to see the fox, and had started bringing snacks, and little things to entertain the demon while he was caged. Of course, the Kyuubi was still bitter, but it did stop him from weighing in on matters that didn't call for his opinion.  
*No. I'm sleeping.*  
"Suit yourself." He knew that the fox was probably just trying to be nice. He didn't need to eat, and though he was technically a spirit, and could change his size and shape, Naruto didn't really have the food to spare right now, even to feed a small Kyuubi. Given that he couldn't slip through the bars anyways, the fox preferred to stay as big as he could at all times, to preserve an intimating aura.  
By now, there had been several items thrown at the young vessel's house, and it was kind of constant now. Every minute or so something would clang off his window, or thunk off his wall, but now, he heard nothing.  
"What happened?" He wondered aloud, only seconds before a knock sounded at his door. "Who the..." Kakashi had given them the day off. He usually did on rainy days, unless they had a C rank mission. If it was D rank, or training, the copy nin just let them have it off so he could either laze around with his books, or stalk poor Iruka-sensei. That begs the question, who the hell was at his door? The villagers never actually knocked. Thought they'd get a disease, or something like that. Putting down his ramen cup, Naruto inched his way from the door, and opened it. Whoever it was, they'd stopped the people from throwing rocks at him.  
"Teme?!"  
"Tch, let me in Usuratonkachi. It's cold out here."  
"Then why the hell are you out?!"  
"Just, let me in."  
"Fine, whatever." Naruto stepped aside, letting the raven haired boy step in, and pull the door shut. Glancing down, he noticed a bag in the regrettably taller boy's hand. "What's that?"  
Sasuke looked down to where his teammate was pointing and grunted, holding the bag out towards him. Naruto grinned widely as a familiar scent ghosted by, and he snatched the bag and tore out the travel container, rushing to the kitchen to eat the ramen while it was still hot. Sasuke snorted, and kicked off his shoes, following the blond with amusement.  
"It's Ichiraku's."  
"Thanks Teme!"  
"Whatever Dobe."  
Halfway through wolfing down the deliciousness that was his ramen, Naruto paused. The older boy had just been standing there the whole time, watching him eat.  
"Er, do you wanna sit down? Are you hungry? I could probably find-"  
"I ate before I came here." Sasuke cut him off, but he did take a seat.  
"Why are you here anyway?"  
For a moment, the raven looked troubled, almost like he was trying to find the answer himself, but eventually settled on, "it's raining."  
"Uhuh...?"  
"I figured you'd be in, and you don't exactly have the best food options at home."  
"That's true."  
*He wanted to see you.*  
'I thought you were sleeping.'  
*Well, I'm awake now, and don't zone out this time when you're talking to me, your boyfriend is gonna get worried.*  
'Would you shut up?' Yes, the Kyuubi had recently decided he was some sort of love expert, and for some reason had chosen Sasuke to focus on getting Naruto with. He couldn't have picked Sakura, or some other pretty girl?  
*I picked a pretty boy*  
'You sure you're not the one crushing on the Teme?'  
"Naruto."  
"Eh?"  
"I asked if you wanted to train."  
Ah, so that's why he was here. Sasuke always did love to train. Dumping his empty container in the garbage, Naruto nodded.  
"Sure. I've got something I've been working on for a while now, and I'm not sure how it works on other people yet." The Uchiha's eyes widened a fraction of an inch for a second.  
"Right. Let's go then."  
"Which training ground?"  
"None of them."  
"Uh..."  
"Look." Sasuke dragged Naruto too the window, pointing out past the walls to where the clouds feathered off into blue sky. "We'll train there, it'll be better for offensive combat, especially test moves."  
"But it's so far away!" The blond whined.  
"Then let's get moving."

Technically, the two shouldn't have been allowed out of the village. Not without an adult, or a team, but Izumo and Kotetsu were Manning the gate, so they allowed the boys a security slip. They did it often enough for Naruto. After they were out of the gate, the blond whacked his teammate on the back of the head, and took off into the trees. It was a sort of challenge for the two. Sasuke had first done it on a mission when Naruto had been especially talkative, and the following fight had turned into hardcore combat training. After that, the two did it to eachother when they wanted a rise out of the other, and even Sasuke never disappointed. Naruto raced into the forest, Sasuke hot on his tail. The Raven smirked, swerving to the left to cut the blond off with a kick to his side. Then it was Sasuke's turn to take off, zigzaging through the various branches to keep Naruto on his toes. With their back and forth game of whack-a-mole bred with tag, it only took them about half an hour to reach the sunny part of the forest. Sasuke was in the lead, and flopped down to wait for his teammate to catch up. 30 seconds... 45... A minute.  
'Where the hell is he?' almost immediately after the thought crossed his mind, a scream split the air.  
"SASUKE!!!!"  
In an instant, the Uchiha was up.  
"NARUTO WHERE ARE YOU?!"  
...Nothing. "Damn it!" Sasuke took off at top speed back the way he'd come. If something really was wrong, Naruto might not be able to call out again. He knew the general area the call had come from, so it was just a matter of- there!  
"NARU-to...?" A jacket. A bloody, torn up, very familiar jacket. "Shit shit shit shit shit!" When was that ever a good sign?  
Before he could freak out and assume the worse, a blood curdling scream from the left tore his attention away from the jacket in his hands. Tossing it on the ground, he leaped into the trees, and ran towards the scream, not noticing the disappearance of the ripped up thing in a poof of white smoke the second it hit the ground.  
Sasuke scowered the ground for his teammate, glad that they were in the sunshine, and the blond would stand out. "Okay, calm down Sasuke. Think. It came from over here, roughly fifty feet away." Stopping on a nearly dry branch, the Uchiha closed his eyes, and forced out his Chakra, slipping it through the air. His ears perked as he caught wind of heavy breathing not too far away. When his eyes reopened, three black tomoe spun in each deadly sharingan. Scanning the area for any sort of clues to narrow down the search, his expert eyes landed on a small puddle of a dark red liquid. "Shit! He's bleeding all over!" Sasuke wasted no more time. Deactivating his sharingan, and resuming his search. He was close enough now to sense the blond, and a few more steps, and he could see him.  
... Oh no...  
"Oh God. N-Naruto?" Sasuke tentitavely approached the boy, watching porcelain eyes for the slightest movement. Nothing. Dark eyes flicked to a tan hand grasping his stomach. Blood seeped out from the wound, pooling on the moss beneath. Blue eyes stared back at Sasuke with an eerie, doll-like stillness. An all too familiar emotion welled up in Sasuke, and in seconds, his sharingan was spinning out of control.  
"Shit shit shit! I'm going to find whatever bastard did this to you, and I'm going to string them up in a tree, and slowly cut them to pieces. I'll use Chakra to keep them alive, and gut them bit by bit." A pounding in his head forced him to double over with a shout of pain, and a wave of dizziness brought him to his knees. His sharingan spun faster than it ever had before, and finally, the tomoe began to spread, weaving an intricate six pointed star. It was an unfamiliar pain, and in the heat of the moment, he failed to realize the importance of it. The awakening, of his mangekyo sharingan.

When the pounding eased, Sasuke stood, focusing once more on his... His dead best friend. Best friend. A scoff slipped from his lips as he eyed the unblinking boy. Kneeling beside him, Sasuke slipped the eyes closed, noticing with a jolt to his heart that the skin was still warm. He traced the tanned, whiskered cheek with a pale thumb, leaning in to whisper against the puffed lips, "you were always so much more beautiful than you ever seemed to see." A single tear slipped from his newly awakened eyes as he gently, oh so gently, placed a kiss on soft, cooling lips. When he pulled back, giant, shining blue eyes stared back at him in wonder. Sasuke jerked away, surprise dissipating his mangekyo sharingan.  
"What-!"  
Naruto stared at him. "What did you.."  
"You're not-"  
"Wh-huh?"  
"You're not dead!"  
"No, I'm not dead!"  
"B-but the blood!"  
"I'm full of it! It's pretty easy access!"  
"But you-" Sasuke froze as he realized something. If Naruto had been awake... The Uchiha covered his mouth with the back of his hand to stifle a gasp, but he couldn't help the look of horror that crossed his face as he realized that he'd just kissed Naruto. While he was awake! He'd called him beautiful to boot! Shame stained his ears and cheeks as he tried to stutter out an explanation of some sort. Naruto's finger tips ghosted his lips as he stared at the Uchiha.  
"What did you mean?"  
Sasuke frowned, and stopped spluttering.  
"Huh?"  
"You said, right before you... Kissed me. You said I was always so much more beautiful than I ever seemed to see. What did you mean?"  
"I- you... The village."  
"What?"  
"The village. The village treats you like a monster. After a while, it seemed like you began to believe them." The boys locked eyes for a solid minute. Then, Sasuke frowned. Then glared. "You... It was a prank?"  
"Uh, y-yeah."  
"It was a fucking prank. I actually- and for a prank!"  
"Sasuke, I'm not mad-"  
"Well I am! I'm pissed, Naruto! People don't give that kind of thing up easily, especially me, and for a prank?!"  
"Sasuke-"  
"Shut up! I thought you were dead! You weren't blinking!"  
"I blinked whenever you looked away, or closed your eyes, but, Sa-"  
"Do you know what that fucking did to me Naruto?! First my parents, and my brother, and now this?!"  
"Your sharingan changed!"  
"What?!"  
"Your sharingan! It got all... Weird."  
"It- th-there's no way."  
"It spread out to make like, a weird, six pointed star, with what looked like a three pointed shuriken inside."  
"Mangekyo. My mangekyo sharingan."  
"Is it dangerous?"  
"Extremely. My brother had his, the night he killed my clan."  
"Does it make you evil?"  
"I don't think so. It makes you powerful though, so I suppose it can, but right now that can wait. Naruto, you went too far. WAY too damn far. Do you have any idea what I could've done?!"  
"Done?"  
"I was going to go off and torture somebody!"  
"I would have stopped you before that happened."  
"NARUTO! I JUST TOLD YOU, THE ONE FUCKING THING, I HAVE NEVER EVEN SAID OUT LOUD IN MY LIFE!"  
"What, that you like me?"  
"I DO NOT LIKE YOU!"  
"Then why are you blushing?"  
"Because it's embarrassing!"  
"What, that you told your crush you like him?"  
Sasuke went silent. "... You're making fun of me." It wasn't a question.  
"No. I'm not making fun of you. I don't have the right to decide who you get to like and who you don't, and you don't have the choice. I understand that more than anybody you'll ever meet."  
It was quiet for a while. The anger out of their systems, and they sat in a comfortable silence.  
"We're not training today, are we?"  
"Probably not. Wanna go to my place and get something to eat?"  
"You aren't freaking out about your sharingan?"  
"Let that sink in later."  
"Okay. In that case, yes. I'd love to go back with you."  
"Get the Kyuubi to heal that wound."  
Naruto froze. Sasuke wasn't supposed to know about that. Nobody was supposed to know about that! Wide eyes locked with dark amusement, and the blond spluttered.  
"I know things too, Dobe."

"Sasuke?" Naruto and Sasuke were sat on the Uchiha's couch, watching TV.  
"Hn?"  
"Do you really think I'm beautiful? I won't get mad, no matter what you say."  
Sasuke turned his full attention to the blond next to him, brushing unruly bangs out of Capri eyes, and relishing the soft blush that bloomed over the whiskered cheeks. Placing a finger under the tanned chin, and lifting the blond's face, he leaned in slightly, and muttered quietly.  
"I'll only say this once, because I doubt I'll have another opportunity, so bear with me." Naruto nodded. "I think you are the most beautiful person in the world. Far more than Sakura, or Hinata, or Ino, or any other girl I've ever seen. You know why?" A shake of the head. "Because you look great, I'll admit, but you're kind, and childish, and genuinely happy alot of the time. That, I'll say, is a lot better than physical beauty. Although, you are gorgeous." With a quiet, longing sigh, Sasuke brushed his lips against Naruto's, planning to pull back, and mentally cursing when his willpower failed him, and he kissed the blond with all he had, all but delighted when Naruto didn't pull away. In fact, the smaller boy was kissing back! Sasuke turned his body to face Naruto, who threaded his fingers through the Uchiha's hair, humming contentedly, and pulling the other in closer. Sasuke pushed back experimentally, and when Naruto leaned back obediently, he went for it. Naruto lay down on the couch and Sasuke hovered over him, running his tongue lightly over the blond's bottom lip as an ask for entrance. As he granted it, parting his lips happily, a deep chuckle raised in the back of his head.  
*Oh no, I don't like him, I like Sakura-chan!*  
'Shut the fuck up, I'm making out.'  
*I can see that*  
'Then leave me be.'  
*Damn, Uchiha's good with his tongue*  
'Don't you dare make this weird.'  
*Fine, fine. I'll leave you be. Don't go too far kit. We wouldn't want little Uchiha kits.*  
'I'm not- what?'  
*...*  
'Kyuubi...'  
*...*  
'Kyuubi, what the hell do you mean Uchiha kits?'  
*Have fun*  
'KYUUBI!!! What have you done to me? Can I have- no! I'm a guy!'  
*Get back to your boyfriend*  
'I will, no thanks to you!'  
____________________________________________________  
Yaaay!!! Chapter two is up, and I'm happy!!!!

Side note, uh, the first few chapters are up on Wattpad, so really all I'm doing is copy pasting. If some of you do chose to stick around, please note that it will definitely take.... Longer to upload. I guess we'll figure out how long as we go?  
Thank you, my ramen noodles that complete the bowl I throw at you!  
Kyo-chan, out!


	3. When We're Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura has a mission, two perverted sensei, and two sad, sad teammates that are hopelessly in DENIAL!

Sakura had a mission. A very special mission, to... Well, she didn't know that yet. She was on her way to see Kakashi-sensei at team seven's bridge to figure out just exactly what this mysterious mission was. He'd approached her yesterday, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little bit concerned. Of course, she and the boys knew he'd go off the rails at some point, but it was so soon! Shaking her head to clear it, the pinkette decided that she was overreacting.  
'There, see?' she told herself as the bridge came into view. 'Iruka-sensei's with him, it'll be fine.'  
Nearing the two, Sakura put on her best what-can-I-do-for-you smile, and stepped onto the bridge. Before she'd even stopped moving, her current sensei grabbed her arm, and pulled her across the bridge, and into a little building off the road. Iruka shut the door behind them.  
"Kakashi-sensei? Iruka-sensei? What's going on?"  
It was Iruka who spoke first.  
"Sakura, sorry to do this to you, but it's very important. Do the boys know you're here?"  
"Sasuke and Naruto?" At a nod, she continued. "No. It sounded important, so I figured I'd keep it secret. If Kakashi-sensei wanted them to know, he'd tell them himself."  
"Good."  
"Wh-what's this about?"  
Now, it was Kakashi's turn to speak. "I've got something I want you to do for me." He was visibly calmer than Iruka. His words weren't rushed, and he held himself in that same old lazy way he always did. As much as she hated to admit it, it calmed her nerves to see her sensei being normal.  
"Okay?"  
"I need you to keep and eye on Sasuke and Naruto. I've sent them to train together, so for the time being it'll be easy. Once they split up, we'll send Neji your way to help."  
Sakura's jaw dropped. "You called me here to spy on my teammates?"  
Kakashi's eye curved up as he smiled. "Exactly."  
"Oh for- Iruka-sensei, you let him drag you into this?!"  
Heaving a sigh, the chuunin nodded. "I'm curious, I'll admit."  
"We'll treat it like a C rank mission, so you'll get paid, of course." Kakashi assured.  
Sakura looked at her old and current sensei in disbelief. Then, sighed. "Okay. Yeah, fine. Whatever. When they go home, who should I follow?"  
"That, we leave up to you." Kakashi poofed out in a little cloud of white smoke, and Iruka handed her a mic used on missions. The kind that clips around your neck and acts like a walkie talkie.  
"When you need Neji, just say so."  
"Okay."

Sakura was excited. She was obviously going to follow Sasuke home, and send Neji after Naruto. As she approached the training grounds, she dimmed her Chakra as much as she could, and positioned herself in the trees. Now, to watch. It only took about five minutes for her to start cringing everytime one of the boys got hit. Naruto wasn't afraid to go full force at Sasuke, and in return, the Uchiha knew just where to hit. The brutal training went on for about three and a half hours, and Sakura found herself glad that she was in the shade. Naruto's loud cry brought her attention back to the boys, and she watched him charge the older boy. Sasuke sidestepped him, but the blond's fist shot out to the side, catching Sasuke's head and bringing him down to his knees. That surprised Sakura. Even she could see that the blow had just clipped the Uchiha, and Naruto stopped and blinked. Then, grinning like a Cheshire, the blond pounced on Sasuke, and hooked his legs around the raven's ankles, and held his wrists to the ground. This left the two in a rather compromising position, and she couldn't help but creep closer.  
"Alright fine, you got me, now get off."  
"Nah, I'm comfy right here. I think I'll stay a while."  
"Naruto, if somebody walks in, you get to explain."  
The blond blinked. "Well, we'll just tell them we were training."  
Sakura frowned. Sasuke had plenty of opportunities to get away. Why wasn't he-  
"Are you really that dense?! Do you have any idea what this looks like?!"  
"Like training?"  
Sakura couldn't believe it.  
"He's enjoying this!" She whispered, noting the small smirk on her future husband's face.  
"Tch, this is a disgrace to my family name but, get off you moron, and I'll get you ramen, happy?"  
"Okay!"  
"He volunteered?"  
Intrigued, she followed quietly, making sure she wasn't seen.  
Naruto bounced all the way there, spewing some crap about how holy ramen is, and as much as Sakura loved Sasuke, she had to admit it was a bit funny seeing the annoyance on his face.  
"Teme, hurry up!"  
And then, Sasuke did something so beautiful, and so rare, that Sakura's heart skipped a beat. A chuckle resonated from the back of his throat, and a small smile graced his face as he stared after the blond. Sakura was beginning to understand why her sensei wanted her to watch the two. The whole meal went by, and the object of her affection almost never looked away from their youngest teammate. Contrary to popular belief, Sakura didn't hate the blond. Sure, he was annoying, and rambunctious, but hate was such a strong word. It was more like, how one might feel towards a little brother. she pushed him around, but at the end of the day, just couldn't see the team without him. Her dislike for the blond wasn't as strong as she'd thought, and that was becoming clearer to her now, as she silently egged him on, wanting to see those little reactions Sasuke offered in response to every stumble of words, or dropped noodle. When the blond was finally done, Sasuke paid, and the two stood, walking to the fork in the road where they would have to go their separate ways. She didn't want them to split up. not just yet. Maybe they could have dinner too. Or even-  
"Oi, Dobe." The Uchiha's voice snapped her back to herself.  
"What?" Naruto had stopped, and was watching Sasuke curiously, wondering why the older boy had suddenly gotten so... Shy. The Uchiha had shifted his gaze to the ground, and his feet shuffled slightly, before he caught himself, and straightened his posture.  
"It's dark, and the village isn't the safest place. Let me walk you home."  
Sakura clapped her hand over her mouth to suppress a squeal.  
Now, it was Naruto's turn to look all flustered. A pink blush spread across his tanned cheeks, burning his ears, and gracing his neck, visible even in the dark from where Sakura watched from. A few interesting expressions crossed Sasuke's face, the most prominent being a painful possessiveness. Almost like he wanted to possess something that was sitting in a bullet proof glass case right in front of him. Taunting him.  
"Ah, sure Teme, thanks, I guess."  
"Hn."  
The pinkette followed diligently, bursting at the seams with a burning curiosity. When the boys started down the road, they walked roughly two feet apart. Both of them were "subtly" closing that difference at an agonizing rate, so slow that Sakura was this close to revealing her position just to slam their heads together and yell at them, 'KISS ALREADY DAMNIT!' Silently reminding herself that her teammates were not 'my life' dolls, and we're in fact, real people. That, and she had a job to do. With that knowledge in mind, she managed to stay silent, holding her breath when Sasuke's hand brushed gently over Naruto's. At first, the blond shied away, and the moment seemed to be lost, but a few seconds later, Naruto's hand brushed Sasuke's, and the Uchiha linked their pinkies. Officially dying in the trees now, Sakura whimpered, and urged them on. They were almost at the blond's house! As if hearing her mental plea, Sasuke finally grew brave enough, and grabbed Naruto's hand. The prominent blush spread back onto the blond's cheeks, but he didn't pull away. Sakura melted as a relieved smile flitted across Sasuke's lips, and he gave the hand in his a squeeze. Briefly, Sakura wondered how in the world she'd never noticed any of this before, and if they did this regularly. Her question was answered when the blond spoke again.  
"So, how long are we gonna keep doing this, Sasuke?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"This. Tiptoeing around eachother, holding hands, you walking me home and then... Just, saying goodnight. I go inside, and you leave. Then we do it again the next day."  
Sasuke seemed to seize up, his back stiffening, and his eyes hardening.  
"... we're here..."  
Blue eyes searched for any signs of familiarity, but the Uchiha had put up his walls. With a sigh, Naruto dropped the hand holding his and muttered, "goodnight Sasuke." The raven winced at the loss of playfulness in the blond's tone as he dropped the fond nickname.  
"Yeah..."  
Sakura's eyes stung as Naruto closed his door, and glancing in his window showed the boy leaning against it, silent tears running down his cheeks.  
Sasuke stood staring at the door for a minute. Then two... Then three. Heaving a shaky breath, he turned to walk away from what he knew would get in the way of his revenge. Halfway down the stairs, he slammed his fist against the wall, and cursed, turning around and taking the stairs two at a time up to the door. When he reached it, he didn't hesitate, banging loudly to get the blond's attention.  
"Oi! Dobe! Open up!"  
"Go away Sasuke."  
"Open the damn door, or I will break it down!"  
The door swung open slowly, and tear stained cheeks, striking, glassy blue, red rimmed eyes, and a sniffling blond to pull it all together appeared. Sakura was startled by her overwhelming urge to box Sasuke's ears until he got brain damage. She'd never wished harm on her precious Sasuke-kun before. Why now?  
"What do you- mph!" Naruto was cut off harshly as his lips were sealed in a rough, inexperienced kiss. The reaction was instantaneous. Electric eyes fluttered shut and tan fingers worked their way into raven hair. Sasuke growled when Naruto gasped and pulled away for air, slipping pleasantly warm hands onto the shockingly feminine hips. Naruto wasn't feminine in the slightest, of course, but the curvature of his hips, and the way they rolled with every move he made was... Hypnotizing. It made Sasuke want to slam the blond against the door, and see just how far this boy would let him go. Too late. Naruto yelped as his back hit the door, and a tongue slid across his bottom lip.  
Sakura had a creeping feeling, and turned to her right, where a white haired man sat, peering in the window.  
"Damn. Iruka, did you teach him that? Naruto is nailing the uke seduction." A tan fist sent the man tumbling from the tree, and Sakura felt a wave of relief as her old sensei sighed from behind her.  
"Sorry Sakura."  
"It's fine, I know he's hard to house train."  
"Haha, ye- OH MY GOD!"  
"What?!"  
"Naruto what are you- don't let him touch you there, he-OH dear lord! Kakashi take me home, your son is defiling mine, and I can't watch!"  
Kakashi answered from below, and Sakura sighed.  
"Okay, I didn't teach him THAT. I promise you ruru."  
"Don't call me ruru."  
"You two are gonna blow our cover! Shut up!"  
The men both quieted, and resumed watching the two through the window. Sasuke raised his eyes to lock with Sakura's, smirking before biting down on Naruto's neck, and shutting the blinds.  
"What are you three doing?"  
Sakura whipped her head around, and was met with unamused, pale eyes.  
"Neji!"  
"Sakura."  
"What are you doing here?"  
"I was told I might be needed. Why are you watching Sasuke have his way with Naruto?"  
"You don't sound surprised."  
"The guys and I made a few bets. I just made a hundred dollars off their relationship, and another two hundred for Sasuke topping."  
Sakura's jaw dropped. Neji... Bet on her teammate's relationship?  
Kakashi called them from where he stood.  
"We should probably go home before Jiraya shows up. He'll record it, and then Tsunade will hand our asses to us on a barbeque."  
"Agreed."  
"Alright."  
_______________________________________

I had, so much fun writing that. Today, a wonderful nice lady came up to me (note that I don't know her), handed me a bouquet of flowers, and told me to have a lovely day... 

I cried.

Thank you for reading, my waffles. Every person counts.  
AND COMMENT! I can't stress this enough! I LOVE comments.  
Thank you!

~Kyo-chan


	4. The love of my life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke's a bastard, Naruto has a type, and I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING!!!

(warning, this chapter has a little bit of sex, but it isn't graphic, it's just eavesdropping. Thank you!)

Naruto wasn't a bad kid. He had bad days, but then, didn't everyone? The thing that made Naruto different, was the lack of parental guidance. That's why he had a best friend. Sasuke Uchiha, who had quite the same issue he did. No parents, no friends, no help. So, they helped eachother. All through elementary school the two were insperable. All through middle school, they beat the shit out of anyone who harmed the other. Now, they were in highschool. Still spending all lunch together, still sleeping at each other's houses every other night. (They'd been fostered until they were old enough to move out. Their "parents" were actually how they'd met. Each lost, each looking for someone they could know.) So what had changed? People had started to talk. People have always talked, and will continue to do so, but rumours spread like a wildfire on the prairie, and one was burning up the school as we speak. This rumour, would have been fine, had it not had anything to do with the boys' relationship. Unfortunately, that was just the case, so all that we're left with, is what are people talking about this time? Why is any of it at all relevant? Well, this particular rumor suggested that there was something more to their relationship than "just friends" and there was something more going on at those sleepovers, than "just sleeping" and if the two were being completely honest, well, they would say that yes, there had been more than just friends, and just sleeping, because the insperable duo were, undoubtedly best friends, and best friends at sleepovers do much playing, and annoying, and horsing around at sleepovers, if you've ever been at a five year old's sleepover, you'll know that they hardly sleep at all, so... That would be alright left at that, but one girl had to go and start a more pin pointed rumor. Sakura hadn't known what she'd started. She simply sat down next to her best friend, and stared across the cafeteria at the boys, who were sitting very close together. Naruto was laughing about something, and Sasuke was rolling his eyes. Not an uncommon sight in Konoha high.  
"Do you think they're actually dating?"  
Ino paused, and looked up. "Well, I'm 100% sure Naruto's gay. I got it out of him last week at the party. He was... Inebriated."  
Sakura snorted. "You got him drunk?"  
"Wasn't hard." Ino shrugged. "Bet him he couldn't drink more than I could. Let him win by a long shot. Pun intended."  
Another snort. "So he's gay, an Sasuke...?"  
"Well, he was drunk off his ass, so we can't be sure that he's gay."  
"Mh, fair enough."  
"Sasuke's still a mystery."  
Across the room, a certain blond perked his ear up. Lately he'd been hearing rumours about him and his best friend, and when he'd brought it to said boy's attention, the Uchiha had just told him to Ignore it. Now, people all over were watching them. Whispering things.  
"Sasuke."  
"What?"  
"I'm getting that feeling again." He'd told Sasuke about how he felt eyes on him wherever he went, and his loyal friend had done his very best to keep the blond out of those uncomfortable situations, but it wasn't as easy as it sounded.  
"Alright, let's get out of here."  
"Where are we gonna go?"  
"Home, Dobe."  
"We're skipping?"  
"Sure, we haven't done it in a while, and I keep you caught up in your classes anyways, so..."  
"Alright, I'm down."  
Sasuke led the boy up a small path in the back field that bled into a small, grassy hill. The top of the hill looked over the small village, and it was Naruto's favorite place in Konoha. A glance at his best friend sent his heart racing, and his breathing became shallow.  
The Uchiha looked... Almost celestial in the sunlight. It was only about one, but the sun was lower in the sky than it should've been, and that caused a golden glow to wash over the world, bathing the boys in warmth, and light.  
"Sasuke." Naruto figured that if he was going to tell Sasuke anything, now should be the time.  
"Hn."  
"Er, I have something to tell you."  
"So tell me."   
Naruto stopped walking. "Sasuke... Can you just, listen?"  
Sasuke stopped, and swung around to face the blond, a serious expression crossing his face.  
"You're afraid."  
"I- huh?"  
"You're afraid, look at you. Increased breathing, you're shifting your weight, you refuse to make eye contact with me, and you're trembling, even though it's perfectly warm outside, so you must be scared, so what's wrong, Naruto? You've never been afraid to tell me anything in your entire life."  
Blue eyes slipped to the ground.  
"Well, most people don't like this sort of thing."  
"Well, I'm not most people, am I?"  
"No, you're not."  
"There, so tell me."  
Naruto drew a shaky breath and nodded.  
"Okay." Wind sighed past the two, tickling the grass as it passed, and Naruto took comfort in it. He'd always taken comfort in the wind. Sasuke prefered watching a flame dance, for whatever reason, so when he came over in the middle of the night, because something was bothering him, the blond always set the fireplace for him.  
"Sasuke, I know you don't really care about this sort of thing, but... See the thing is..."  
"..."  
"I-I, I like guys, Sasuke. That's, who I want to date, is guys. Girls are all good and well, but, I'm gay, I think, and if you don't like that, or can't handle it, then, too bad for you."  
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.  
"You like guys."  
"Yes." No sense lying now.  
"You... Want to have sex with guys."  
"Problem?"  
"...Naruto,"  
"If you tell me this is just a phase, I'm slapping you, and locking my door when I go home."  
"What's making you say this now? Have you been blackmailed?"  
Blue eyes widened. "Oh my god. You are so, insensitive! What the hell is wrong with you?!"  
"Naruto, I don't care that you're gay."  
The blond froze.  
"...w-what?"  
"I don't care."  
"Then why-"  
"Because you're my best friend, and you never told me. I find that a little insulting."  
Naruto stared, then snorted, and then began to laugh. Uncontrollable laughter, and even a few tears.  
"I hate you!"  
Sasuke smirked. "Let's go home, Dobe."

"Naru- uh..."  
Sasuke stared at the boys making out on the sofa. Anger welled up inside of him when he saw the other boy squeeze Naruto's ass, and the blond only laughed. Sasuke frowned, containing himself.  
"Naruto."  
Said boy froze, whipping his head around, and grinning sheepishly.  
"H-hey Sasuke."  
"You've got... That thing on your couch."  
"That thing?" The other boy laughed. Standing up, and placing Naruto on his feet, the pale raven smiled at the Uchiha, who felt his skin crawl. "You must be Sasuke. You're lucky. Naruto never shuts up about you."  
"Who the hell are you?"  
"Sai. That's all you need to know."  
"Ha, not a chance. How old are you?"  
"Seventeen, I suppose I don't mind you knowing that. However, I'm very good at minding my own busines so I won't ask you about yourself, and don't bother trying to get anything else out of me, because you won't."  
Sasuke snarled, and turned around, walking out the door.

Over the next month, Sai became an unfortunate part of their life. He had to knock when he came in now, and usually the other boy was over. Now though, now he wouldn't be. It was dark out, and this was when he got to spend time with Naruto. He'd come over after dark, and the two would play video games, and drink things they weren't supposed to, just like they did when they were younger. Standing in front of the door, the Uchiha raised a hand, and knocked. No answer. Sasuke shrugged. The blond's car was here, so obviously he was too. Probably in the shower. As he pushed the door open though, a scent reached his nose that mad this whole face scrunch up. Scented candles? Gross. Then he heard it. From the other room, a shocking moan cut the silence. Frowning, Sasuke took a step into the house before he heard it again. The sound had a surprising effect on the young Uchiha, and the third moan sent shivers down his spine. There were little creaking sounds here and there, and while Sasuke wasn't thrilled that his best friend was getting laid, particularly with Sai, he couldn't deny the way his body was heating up the slightest bit, and every time Naruto moaned, which he was doing a lot of now, delicious shocks of pleasure sailed straight to his groin. The blond was getting louder, and seemingly more desperate. The cries were less far apart every time, and it wasn't long before he started babbling. Sasuke leaned heavily against the doorframe, and sighed, as he shifted, and got that little bit of pressure he needed. Naruto was close, he could hear it in the pitch and tone of his voice. A soft moan left Sasuke's lips as Naruto let out a long, pleasurable cry. Then, it happened. The blond howled out in pleasure, and Sasuke could just imagine him arching off the bed. The sound sent shocks of pleasure all over his body, and his head slammed into the wood beside him as he came in his jeans. Only after, did his mind registered the name he'd heard when the blond screamed. It was... His name.  
"Sai, wait, I'm sorry, it won't happen again, I got caught up, and-" Sasuke didn't stick around to hear what happened. 

At home, he lay in bed, panting heavily. The Uchiha had needed more than a no-touch release, and with the images those sounds put in his head, and the memory of the blond screaming his name... it had taken roughly two minutes. He'd have to listen to the blond crying tomorrow about his breakup, so sighing softly, he rolled over, and fell into a deep sleep.

"He left."  
"...I know."  
Blue eyes slowly trailed up to Sasuke's face from where the blond was hiding his own.  
"How could you possibly know that?"  
" Because you invited me to play video games last night. I was there when... When it happened."  
"..."  
"Naru-"  
"You were there."  
"I was."  
"You... We're there when he..."  
"When he walked out, yes."  
Naruto's whole body shook, and he grabbed at his chest. You, were there, when I was screaming, and hurting, and bleeding, and you were there, and you didn't-" His voice faultered, and Sasuke frowned.  
"Wait wait wait, slow down, what, did happen?"  
Naruto lifted his head, and Sasuke gasped.  
"... He got angry, Sasuke."  
"..." Sasuke stared at the bruise blooming on the side of Naruto's face, and the traces of dried blood on his nose. There was more underneath his shirt, Sasuke was sure of it.  
"... So, so... Angry."  
And then, the ice cold Uchiha did something he'd never done in his life without being made to. He pulled his best friend close, and locked his arms around him. The blond froze, before pushing at the raven to try and get away. Sasuke held on, not letting the squirming boy go, until finally, Naruto fell limp in his arms. Then, Sasuke pulled him onto his lap, and held on tight.  
"It's okay."  
Tan hands clenched on the raven's shirt, and warm tears soaked through.  
"It's not okay!"  
Sasuke sighed. "No... But it is what it is."  
"Can you promise me something?"  
"... No."  
"Why not?"  
"Because I know you, and I know what you're about to ask, and I can't do that. Not even for you."  
"..." The blond nodded, chuckling softly. "I know, but I can still ask."  
"I can't just let it go. You're my best friend, Naruto. You've been my everything for longer than I can say. I don't have friends. Just you, and I promised you I'd keep you safe. I swore it again, and again. I couldn't do that, in the end, so I'm afraid I can't promise to stay away from him, and I can't promise that he'll walk away untouched."  
"Then don't go to jail. That's all I ask. I need you around here. Who else is gonna beat up my exes for me? Heh."  
"That I can do."

Sasuke leaned back against the tree he'd been standing beside, and crossed his arms as he saw the target of his anger waltz into view.  
"Sai."  
The pale boy glanced up, and offered a disturbing smile. "Ah, Sasuke. Have you and your little boyfriend fucked yet? I've got to say, it's a good thing I topped. Not only is there not much there for him to do anything with, he took it like a whore." Sasuke curled his fingers into fists, and Sai's smile morphed into a sneer. "I'm pretty sure someone was in him before I was, because he took it like a dirty, thirsty, slu-" Sasuke cut him off with a well-aimed fist to the jaw. Sai chuckled as he spat out blood, and righted himself to say something haughty, apparently not anticipating the second fist that crunched into his nose. Sasuke actually winced at the sound as Sai went down screaming.  
"So, so what? Naruto send y-you after me to beat m-me up? Couldn't handle it himself?"  
Sasuke sneered as he drew back and kicked the squirming boy in his stupidly exposed stomach.  
"Gah!"   
"No. Naruto," kick. "Begged me," kick. "Not." Kick. "To come!" Sasuke took a deep breath, remembering Naruto's plea for him to stay out of jail. One look at the bloody boy gave him assurance that he'd be lying there for quite some time. The Uchiha gathered up all the willpower he had left, and turned around. He was going to see if Naruto was okay. The blond was still pretty shaken up, and- Oof! Sasuke's head was slammed sideways, and he realized a second too late that Sai's more resilient than he'd bargained for. His ears began to ring as the boy on top of him brought his fist down one too many times. Then, the weight on top of him was gone. Bleary eyes opened to see blond hair, and tan skin. The blurry shape was currently beating the shit out of his former attacker. When the other lay limp for the second time that day, Naruto made his way over to his bleeding friend. The blond's hand ghosted over pale skin, and Sasuke leaned into the touch. Such soft, tan skin. The Uchiha registered that his best friend was calling his name.   
"Sasuke! Sasuke, come on, say something!"  
"...nfmlmice."  
".... What?"  
Rolling over so his face wasn't on the ground, Sasuke sighed.  
"I said you smell nice. What is that anywa- ow!"   
Naruto laughed and wiped away tears as the Uchiha sent the boy who'd slapped him a death glare.  
"You, are an idiot."  
Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Thank you?"  
"Hah, you're welcome."

It only took three days for Sasuke to heal completely, and when he did, Naruto insisted on taking him up to a field outside the village. Most of it was surrounded by trees, but the boys had spent a lot of time playing here as kids. The sun was low in the sky, not quite high enough to warm the grass yet.  
"Remind me again why we're here?"  
"Because I need to thank you."  
"Look, Dobe, I did you a favor. We can call it even-"  
"I'll spar with you if you let me talk."  
"..."  
"..."  
"... Really?"  
Naruto shrugged. "Sure. It's been a while."  
"That's the understatement of the year, it's been like three years."  
"Four and a half."  
"Shit, really?"  
"Mhm. Can I talk now?"  
"Yeah, sorry."  
Blue eyes scanned Sasuke decisively, weighing the consequences of what he was about to say. The Uchiha was... Well, gorgeous, as always, but today there was something more. Something Naruto couldn't quite place. Wait, no. He could place it. The blond leaned in.  
"What do you smell like?" A dark eyebrow raised in amusement.  
"Huh?"  
"You're using something new, you smell different."  
"Lovely that you know what I smell like."  
"Shut up Teme, you used to smell like the beach, now you smell like coconut and shea butter."  
"You sure it isn't just you?"  
"Of course I'm sure." Naruto frowned, sniffing. "Is that shampoo?"  
Sasuke snorted. "Yes, Dobe, I got a new shampoo, the store was all out of the one I usually get. What were you going to say?"  
"Hm. It's nice, you should keep it. Smells like vacation."  
Sasuke's eyes glinted. "Good to know."  
"Anyways, yeah. The thing."  
"Yes. The thing."  
Naruto was visibly nervous, and was beginning to feel backed up into a corner. He knew Sasuke wasn't stupid. The Uchiha had figured out this was important by now. He was probably just trying to let Naruto tell him in his own time.  
"Sasuke. You've been my best friend for how long now?"  
"Eleven years."  
"Shit, eleven. Okay. Y-you... Could you turn around please? I don't want to see your face when you start hating me."  
The raven sighed. When Naruto looked up with a few tears streaming down his face, he gave up on letting the blond take his time. Reaching up to wipe a tan cheek, he stepped in, grabbing Naruto's hand when the younger tried to back away. Before the blond opened his mouth to say something, Sasuke swept his best friend up in a sweet, reassuring kiss. Naruto's eyes widened comically, and he seemed on the fence about whether or not to pull away, but when Sasuke placed a hesitant hand on the small of his back, and closed his eyes, he leaned right in, responding to the kiss and placing his arms around Sasuke's neck. The Uchiha chuckled, and turned his head the slightest bit. Naruto felt him smile, and forced himself to come back to himself and break the kiss. Sasuke didn't smile often, and he wanted to see it.  
"Why'd you stop?"  
"Are you pouting?"  
"No." The Uchiha frowned.  
Naruto raised an eyebrow, but left it alone.  
"Let me say my stuff."  
Sasuke's head fell back, and he sighed.   
"Okay."  
"Okay, so, well, you're my best friend. You've been my best friend for eleven years, and I want you to be my best friend forever. However, I don't want to spend forever watching you date, and get married, and maybe even have kids. I can't. I have a type Sasuke. A lot of people commented on it while I was dating Sai, and they're right. Pale skin, dark hair, dark eyes, tall. I'm not sure how I didn't see it. I've been around you for so long it feels like we're part of eachother. So I want to be with you. For real. Like, as a couple." When the blond looked up, he spluttered a little bit. Sasuke had his phone out, and was raising his eyebrow in amusement. "What, are you playing on your phone?! You know what?! Whatever! You're my best friend, and the love of my life, fuck you!"  
Sasuke lowered his phone. "I wasn't playing on my phone Dobe."  
Blue eyes went huge, and Sasuke chuckled.  
"You did not."  
"Oh, but I did."  
"You recorded that?!"  
"Haha!"  
"Give me that!"  
"Not a chance!"  
After an hour of chasing/sparring the boys collapsed into the grass.  
"You'd better delete that video, Teme."  
"Mmmno, I don't think I will, but, one thing."  
"What? What could you possibly want n-oh?" Sasuke was leaning in, so close that the sweetly clean scent the Uchiha carried enveloped the blond, and he closed his eyes in bliss. "Mmm you smell so nice."  
"Dobe, focus."  
"I am focusing."  
"Then what did I just ask you?"  
"Huh?"  
"I lied, I haven't said anything yet."  
"Asshole."  
"Heh, but seriously, could you say that last part again? Just once?"  
"The very last part?"  
"Yeah."  
"Asshole."  
Sasuke jerked back. "What?! No! Of the video!"  
"Hahaha! I know, but the look on your face!"  
"Hn."  
"Okay, okay." Naruto widened his eyes, and looked up at Sasuke, blinking innocently.  
"Fuck, don't do that." Sasuke hissed, memories of the blond screaming out his name echoing through his head.  
"Sasuke." The blond dropped his eyes half mast, and leaned in, murmuring to the raven. "You are my best friend... And, the love of my life."  
"Thank you." Sasuke mumbled, before promptly attacking his blond, pushing the boy down onto the grass and sealing their lips into an unbreakable kiss, one that would linger in their minds even as they shared graduation together, and as they spent their first night under the Uchiha's sheets, ghosting touches and whispered names. Even the day Sasuke took the blond out, and got down on one knee in front of everyone in Naruto's favorite ramen shop. Even as they stood in front of the alter, two of their best friends slapping money into their third best friend's hand, who smiled at Ino and Kiba and tucked the money into her pink bag, smiling as the Uchiha held Naruto's hand, and told him he was his best friend... And the love of his life. Then, they had a new kiss to remember. One the blond cried, and laughed through, and Sasuke made a little more graphic that it needed to be, until Sakura yelled at them to get a room, and everyone broke down in giggles. One kiss that brought both boys back to the field, rolling around in the warm grass, laughing, and kissing, and playing. Just like they always had. Like they always would. Because they were best friends... And the love of each other's lives.  
_______________________________________

Oh my god, I am so sorry this took so long! I have not been on task, and it's not like I have an excuse because I am LITERALLY SITTING AROUND DOING NOTHING ALL DAY! Please forgive my laziness.

Btw, how's quarantine? Comment something that's changed for you, I'd love to know.  
~kyo-chan


	5. If the World Was Ending You'd Come Over Right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto is going out, but he starts to doubt whether he's really good enough for his tall, handsome date. What will Sasuke do when he sees his angel in tears?

Naruto sat on his couch, breathing heavily, and wiping his nose every now and then. He'd long since given up on trying to stop the tears. 

"Oh god." Trembling hand fisted into blond locks as he tried in vain to shut up. "Stop it. Stop it Naruto, get a grip!"  
Yelling at himself wasn't helping. Naruto glanced again at the clock, whimpering as he realized that his date would be be here in less than five minutes. "Damn it." He whispered. 

He'd been fine ten minutes ago. He'd been getting ready for his date, putting on ripped skinny jeans, and an orange hoodie, brushing his unruly hair -lot of good that did him-, and applying the smallest bit of mascara to make his eyes pop. He never actually got it on. He'd been leaning in, makeup in hand when he broke down. He'd frozen, staring at himself in the mirror, and looking himself over. Then his date popped into his head. Always perfectly styled hair, piercing black eyes, endearing smirk, always making you wonder what he's thinking. Naruto was... Open. You could always see right through him, and frankly, he was a child. Playful, bright, needy, clingy. And Sasuke was... Dark, mysterious, sophisticated, and put together. Naruto lowered his hand. What was he doing?! Sasuke didn't need him! Sasuke probably didn't even want him! He was powerful, and purebred, programmed with the Uchiha legacy in his blood. Naruto was... A dork. He was reckless, And he abused his power. Hell, he was literally a demon! Well, he had a demon. Then the tears came, and Naruto began to get angry. He was getting ready for a date that he'd wanted since he was twelve. Now, he was nineteen, and he was crying. Sasuke had finally asked him out, probably out of pity, and here he was, putting his heart and soul into trying to be better. Who was he kidding? Finally letting a sob through, the blond placed the makeup down and made his way to the couch.  
"I can't even make myself look nice for my date." He chuckled miserably. "I'm fucking useless."  
So, here he was now. Sobbing his heart out on the couch, when his doorbell rang.

Sasuke was nervous. It wasn't a good look on him, and he wasn't sure how to play it off as calm. Taking a deep breath, he smoothed his black sweater down, and held the bunch of roses tightly. He knew it was cheesy, but he wanted to do something nice. Naruto had liked him for a long time. He'd said as much when the Uchiha finally gathered the courage to ask him out. The thornless bouquet contrasted nicely against the Uchiha's pale skin and dark clothing, and he hoped his boyfriend- date? Were they dating, or just going on a date? Was there a difference? He hoped Naruto would think he looked nice. He clutched the flowers to his chest. Did he go overboard? Was this a really casual date? "Man up Sasuke, you're an Uchiha. Uchihas don't... Freak out."  
Finally realizing he was still standing at the blond's door, Sasuke quickly rang the doorbell.

Naruto flinched, trying to wipe his eyes and smile.  
"H-hold on!"

The reply was hesitant. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" The blond recoiled, instantly hearing the too loud, too fast response, and wishing he could take it back. He couldn't. The door opened quickly, and Naruto freaked out, attempting to keep the Uchiha away.  
"I'm fine, just wait there! I'll come out when I'm re-eady." The sob that split the last word, though, was a dead giveaway and he knew it. Sasuke wasted no time in rushing to his blond's side, tossing the flowers on the couch, and kneeling in front of an emotionally unstable teenager, who was desperately trying to squirm away, and hide his tears. Sasuke frowned, snatching a tan hand and holding it tightly.

"What's wrong Naruto? Talk to me."  
The blond shook his head frantically, and tried to pull away. Sasuke was having none of that, and yanked the blue eyed beauty in, wiping away his tears, and holding him firm.

"Sasuke don't, please don't."

"Why are you crying?! Talk to me damn it!" Naruto visibly flinched, pulling back. "Shit, no, I'm sorry angel, so sorry, okay? Take a few deep breaths, yeah? What's going on? Do you, not want to go out? You could've just said so-" the older boy was cut off when arms surrounded him tightly, pulling him to the couch beside the blond.

Naruto heaved a few heavy breaths, before cracking out, "Don't go."

Sasuke blinked. "... what?"

"Please don't leave me alone."

And just like that, Sasuke understood. The tears, the feigned collectedness, the fear radiating off the trembling boy in his arms, who looked so much like a terrified child, that it scared Sasuke. It scared him to see this much of himself in the boy he'd sworn to keep away from all his brokenness. Resting his hand on the smaller boy's head, he whispered, almost to himself, "You're terrified I'm gonna shut you out again. Even after everything we've been through, it still haunts you. Even now." The tightening of Naruto's grip on him confirmed the observation, and the Uchiha's throat constricted. "Oh angel," he sighed, louder than before. "I could never live with myself if I abandoned you again." Naruto tensed. Then lifted his head. "It hurt me almost as much as it hurt you."

"Are those... For me?" Sasuke followed his gaze to the roses sitting beside them.

"Oh!" Sasuke leaped up, snatching the flowers, and awkwardly holding them out."Er, Ino, helped me pick these... For you."

Naruto giggled, taking the bunch delicately. "They're beautiful."

"Um, are you, feeling a little better?"

Naruto looked up to Sasuke with vibrant blue eyes and smiled. "Yeah."

The Uchiha's heart squeezed, and he cleared his throat. "Wanna go on that date?"

"Oh!" Naruto leaped up. "Right!"

Sasuke shook his head, and chuckled.  
"You're amazing." Naruto glanced up at him in wonder, and Sasuke leaned in, finally stealing the kiss that he'd wanted to retry for years.

Naruto inhaled shakily.  
"Yeah." He smiled. "Let's go on that date."  
_______________________________________

Okay, this is my I'm so sorry, here have a fluffy make up chapter. Thanks for reading my waffles!  
~Kyo-chan


	6. Truth or Dare... Sorta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloroform, alcohol, and truth or dare...sorta.

"Truth or dare!"  
"What?!"  
Kiba rolled his eyes. "Truth, or dare."  
Again, Naruto shook his head. "No. Never again."  
The brunet leaned in, smirking. "We could play spin the bottle."  
"Not a chance! That's worse than DRUNK truth or dare!"  
Kiba's eyes went wide, and he bounced happily. "DRUNK TRUTH OR DARE!!!! We are sooooo playing that!"  
"Wha- no! It's MY birthday, why are you even planning it?!"  
"Because I'm your dorm mate, and your second best friend."  
"You aren't my only dorm mate you know."  
The dog lover shrugged. "Hey, if you want to ask Gaara to plan you a party, be my guest, but if he kills a lamb or a virgin, don't say I didn't warn you."  
"He- Wha- huh...?"  
Kiba sighed."Gaara is not a happy person, Naruto. I can bet money on the fact that if you asked him to plan you a party, he-"  
"I don't want a party!"  
The dog lover seemed to think this over before frowning. "Yes you do."  
The sound of an open hand landing on a forehead resonated throughout the room, and the blond's curses carried out to the hallway, where people would give the door a wide birth if they happened to be passing by.

Naruto had been wary through all of his classes. His college was usually a safe environment, but today, he had to have his own back. be a ninja. Okay no, scratch that, he'd be a terrible ninja. His best friend liked to remind him that when they played ninja as toddlers, and in elementary school. At any rate, he'd been glancing around the room, and had had several people ask him if he was alright, Two girls ask him who wanted him dead, and one person he didn't even know come up to him looking so sad, put a hand on his shoulder, and say,  
"I'm so sorry. My mother had it too."  
That one had stopped Naruto, who turned to give the person a 'what the fuck?' kind of look. It was the end of the day now, and still, no one had tried to ambush him. Now he was getting suspicious, and was checking every corner before he turned it, but he made it to the dorms unscathed. Slowly opening the door was like something out of a horror movie, and he jumped when he turned the light on, and came face to face with his best friend.  
"Jesus! Sasuke! Thank god!"  
Naruto ran up and wrapped his arms around the raven, who was looking a little more pissy than usual, and a lot more like he needed the Tokyo tower to start producing straight caffeine. Before Naruto could ask him what was wrong, the older boy had hugged him back, and whispered in his ear,  
"Happy birthday Dobe, I'm sorry."  
Blue eyes snapped open. "Sorry for-" Naruto never got to finish his sentence. Sasuke had pulled out a white cloth, and placed it over Naruto's mouth. The blond gasped and jerked back, but the damage was done. a sort of haze filled his mind as he tried to jerk away from the cloth, but his body was getting slow. Fear clenched in his gut, and for half a second, he wondered if Sasuke was going to kill him. Then he remembered that even though Sasuke had probably wholeheartedly volunteered, it was most likely Kiba's idea. Tapping the raven's arm got the other to move the cloth away, and Naruto coughed. For an instant, worry crossed his best friend's face, and then a lazy grin crossed the his.  
"Gotchya."  
"Tch, Dobe."  
"Promise me something?" Words were beginning to slip away from Naruto, and he fought to keep consciousness. "Promise me there'll be cake."  
Sasuke snorted, and heaved his best friend up, carrying him bridal style. "Of course there's cake."  
"Put me, down.. I'm not.. your... wife."  
"That's it. Lights out out Dobe. Shut up for a few minutes, give the damn world some peace."

"You asshole! I can't believe you actually used chloroform! Where the hell- I probably don't want to know where you got it from, do I?"  
"Relax pinky, I'm not an amateur. I only gave him enough to knock him out for an hour, he'll come to any second now."  
Naruto felt a warm hand on his forehead, and he leaned into it, groaning softly. As his eyes fluttered open, and red hair filled his vision, a husky voice called out, "Uchiha. He's awake."  
"There, see?"  
"If you ever, do that again, I will personally bury you alive, and dance on your grave."  
"Tango, or salsa?"  
Blue eyes watched a pink haired girl smack the snickering raven, and huff, "go check on him."  
When the hand, obviously belonging to Gaara, tried to pull away, Naruto whined in protest, and flung his arms up, pulling whatever he could back down. Had he been able to see the expression of 'oh... well this is happening' on Gaara's face, he would have laughed so hard that the party may have had to be relocated to the nearest hospital. The thing that did make him laugh, was the 'this is fine' look that Sasuke was trying to play off as cool. Letting go of Gaara, he reached up and made grabby hands at the Uchiha.  
"Well fine then, you be my warmth."  
Sasuke's nose scrunched up and Sakura snorted. "What?"  
Blue eyes rolled in a much more exaggerated motion than they needed to. "Huggies."  
"You're not a baby.  
"You're jealous."  
"Of whom?"  
"I don't know, I'm cold." And just like that the conversation was over.

Ten minutes later, Naruto had shaken off the last of the drug, and was berading Kiba for both having Sasuke drug him out, and for planning the party.  
"Hey man, don't blame me, you already knew I was gonna plan a party."  
"THAT DOES NOT MAKE IT OKAY!"  
A hand waved a bottle of alcohol in front of the blond, and he turned to see Shikamaru standing there. The lazy genius sighed. "Drink, for all our sakes."  
"Forget it! I am not spending a second of this trip drunk!"  
Kiba shrugged. "Sure man, remember the entire thing."  
Naruto paused. Before the blond could give anyone another lecture, a sigh sounded behind the group. Three faces turned to see three girls looking bored, angry, and shy.  
Sakura was the first to speak. "Believe me Naruto, you'll want to be drunk for this. Neji, Gaara, Temari, Lee, Tenten, Kankuro, Suigetsu, and Karin are already inebriated, Ino, Kiba, Sasuke-kun, Shika and I are halfway there. You and Hinata-chan are the only sober ones here. Take the bottle, and drink."  
Ino nodded. "It's for your own good Naruto."  
The blond sent a scowl to, well everyone, and snatched the bottle from his friend. Talented fingers popped the lid of, and before Kiba could make his way across the room, the bottle was downed, and he was calling for another one.  
"Jesus man, careful. It is still your party, we need you awake at the very least."  
Blue eyes rolled as Naruto snatched Sasuke's beer when no one handed him a new one. Ignoring the Uchiha's indignant squawk, he sat down in the centre of what he was beginning to notice looked like a cabin. "Okay, I'll drink. Let's get this over with. What're we playing?"  
fifteen young adults gathered around, all yelling suggestions. Kiba piped up with his own, earning a roar of appreciation from the group.  
"Seven minutes in heaven!"  
"NO!" Naruto shrieked, shaking his head, and downing the rest of Sasuke's beer, once again ignoring his friend as the elder glared at Naruto like the blond had just stolen his first born son. Was that concerning? When Gaara glared like that, you were either in serious danger, or it was tuesday. When Sasuke glared like that... should he be running? "We are never playing that again!"  
A few glances were exchanged, and Karin spoke up from across the circle. Did something happen Naruto?" She asked, a wolfish grin dominating her face.  
Naruto shook his head, beginning to feel the buzz from the alcohol he'd drunk, and absently wondering if he should've checked the percentage. "What's it to you?"  
His cousin sent a sweet smile his way. "Just wondering. You seem to have a minor case of PTSD. What, pray tell, may have happened?"  
Naruto glared. "You know exactly what happened. It's my birthday! I wanna play truth or dare!" A series of groans rang out, and before he could stop himself, he rushed to get his friends on board. "We can make it a drinking game!"  
Kiba was the first to take the bait. "And how does one make truth or dare a drinking game?"  
Naruto shrugged, snatching another bottle of alcohol. "If someone chickens out on a dare, they drink. If someone asks a boring dare, they drink. If an answer isn't satisfying to the people, that person drinks, and if a boring question is asked, the asker, and the askee will drink."  
A few cheers went up around the circle, and Hinata gave up on staying sober, promptly snatching Gaara's beer from is hands, taking a huge swig, and reaching over to close his jaw before handing the bottle back. Neji snickered on the other side of the redhead. "She stole your alcohol."  
Gaara turned slowly to face the usually collected Hyuuga, His heated glare deciding it dressed better in wary fear. "I've killed people."  
"Is that a threat for me, or reassurance for yourself?"  
"I haven't decided yet."  
"Okay!" Naruto raised his bottle. "Sasuke-Teme! You start."  
Sasuke scowled. "Why me?"  
The blond shrugged. "We could try to see who can beat you in a fist fight, but your stupid 'Uchiha Pride' would kick in, and you'd totally flatten them all except for me, and I don't wanna go first, and Gaara, who-no offense- would probably pull a knife on you, and, in this stage of drunkenness, claim he finally became a bird, and used his talons to claw you."  
The raven grimaced. "Fine, Dobe. Truth or dare."  
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Of course. Fine, Truth."  
"You and I have been friends for... fuck, forever. We tell eachother everything." Naruto shifted uncomfortably, having a feeling where this was going. "Is there anything you haven't told me?"  
The blond groaned loudly, taking a big swig of beer. "Oh, I'm so not drunk enough for this." Another swig. "And clearly neither are you, what the hell's with that serious question?" Blue eyes glanced around at his friends, who were eyeing him like a pack of wolves. "Fine, yes, there are things that I don't tell you." Naruto snorted at Sasuke's taken aback stare. "Please, you think I tell you every time I get laid?"  
"You do."  
"Yeah, okay I do. Uh, okay, something I've never told you. Oh, yeah there's one. Well, there's a few, but the big one..." Naruto locked eyes with his best friend's. "Sasuke, have I ever told you how I got my whiskers?"  
Obsidian eyes widened, proving the seriousness of the situation. Sasuke was loose, but not THAT loose, he was well known for being a quiet drunk, and as cold with emotions as ever. "You badly lied in third grade. You told me they were birthmarks. I left it. They're obviously scars, but I assumed it was a sensitive topic."  
Naruto nodded, taking a swig, and sighing. "Okay. Well, yeah. They're scars alright. We all know I grew up in an orphanage, yes?" A few nods. "Okay, well, when I was five- just turned, so basically four- money was tight, and food was, well... non-sustainable. Some of the older kids decided it was their job to decrease the mouths being fed, but one of them was batshit crazy, and started cutting me up. He might've gone all the way if Yamato-sensei hadn't been there. Sasuke, I met you about six months later. Then, yaknow, at twelve, I was outta there when Iruka adopted me!" Nobody spoke. Naruto drank. Sakura blinked. Naruto drank. Sasuke stared. Naruto paused. "Can I help you? You guys are making me feel like an alcoholic here."  
Then, Sakura reached over, smacked the blond in the face, and began screaming at him. "You idiot! How could you never tell us that?! WE LOVE YOU DAMNIT! We could have helped you get through it!"  
"Meh, doesn't bug me anymore." Ignoring the murderous pinkette, Naruto flashed a grin. "Kiba, truth or dare!"  
Ignoring the obvious change in subject, the dog lover grinned right back, settling on, "dare."  
"Yeah, shoulda figured. Mkay, well this is a game, not therapy, so... Naruto looked around the room for something his friend could lick. A wicked grin settled on his face as he found the perfect thing. "Suck Hinata's face."  
"WHAT?! NO WAY!"  
"Then suck Shikamaru's face."  
"What is this, spin the bottle?!"  
"On the contrary. It's our own little take on truth or dare. That sounds like a chicken to me, so DRINK, my fine, feathered friend!"  
Kiba growled as he chugged some of his beer. "So NOW you're into it."  
"Of course, because now, you suffer too."  
"Of course! Fucking, I don't know, Shika, truth or dare?"  
Said boy sighed with distaste. "Truth."  
"Naturally. Fuck, uh... have you ever kissed a boy?"  
Shikamaru raised a brow. "In this day and age, who hasn't?"  
Suigetsu scoffed. "That's boring, we're not five. Drink up, and ask better questions."  
Kiba let out an indignant squawk. "Well I never!"  
The white haired boy smirked from across the circle. "Well I just did. Drink up flea bag."  
"Asshole." Kiba and Shikamaru raised their bottles, and the lazy genius sighed.  
"Tem." Gaara's sister grunted in response. "Truth or-"  
"Dare."  
"What a drag, fine, I dare you to say the worst thing you can to your... charming baby brother."  
"Define worst thing."  
Shika shrugged. "Set him off."  
Temari grinned, glancing at her other brother, before moving in front of the youngest. "Gaara, do you remember your bear?"  
Blurry green eyes narrowed. "Ruffy ruffy kun?"(1)  
"That's the one. Remember how he burned in that little fire someone set in the bathroom?" The room held their breath as the redhead lowered his gaze, nodding. "Kankuro set that fire." The reaction was instantaneous, Gaara's eyes flashed to his elder brother, who jerked back, yelping in alarm. Naruto lunged for his murderous friend, and cinched his arms to his sides. Kiba rushed to help his roommate restrain... well, his his other roommate, pausing only briefly to wonder if it was concerning that they found themselves in this position a lot.

Roughly ten minutes later, everyone was seated, the order was rearranged, with Naruto and Kiba on either side of a fuming Gaara, who was angrily suckling on the beer bottle that the blond had stuck in his hand to calm his fiery soul. Neji was sulking next to Kiba, about not getting to sit by Gaara, and his cousin was net to him, calmly trying to cheer him up. on the other side, Sasuke sat next to Naruto, for 'extra protection.' Across the circle, Tenten shook her head.  
"This has got to be the weirdest game of truth or dare I have ever played."  
Naruto beamed at her. "That's the goal!"  
"Oi, angry beer baby." Suigestu ignored the positively murderous glare that Gaara (still sucking on his beer like and infant) sent his way. "You gonna go?"  
Lips parted from the bottle with a loud 'pop', and the redhead growled. "Fine. You, truth or dare."  
"Me? I'm flattered." Suigetsu tilted his head in thought for a moment. "Dare."  
"Go eat that raw fish thing in the freezer."  
Violet eyes widened, and the other boy's face contorted with disgust. "You can't be serious, that thing we found earlier? We have no idea how old it is! That shit could kill me!"  
A nonexistent eyebrow raised. "Stuck between the spawn of the devil, and the dead shit that crawled out of the deep blue sea. Which will he choose?"  
Suigetsu hesitated. "Fine, I'll eat the... whatever it is, but let me do my question first. Y'know, incase I don't survive?" At a nod from Krampus himself, the teen grinned, and turned to Sasuke. "E-boy. T or D?"  
Dark eyes rolled. "You wear fishnets one time. Why does nobody ever call the demon freak out on his makeup?"  
Kiba had no qualms answering the Uchiha. "First of all, you wore fishnets? Naruto's telling me all about that shit. Second, we make fun of you, because your biggest threat is 'I'll spill all your secrets, and set a hoard of fangirls on you.' Gaara will string us up in trees, and set a bunch of well trained bunny rabbits on us, purely for the irony. While I acknowledge that you are scary, and have most likely set a few bunnies on fire, setting us on fire is more respect-worthy."  
"I have never threatened to spill secrets, or set fangirls on people in my life. My biggest threat is the military training I received growing up. I could break every bone in your body, and tell you exactly how each will affect you, if it stays broken. Also, Naruto will be keeping the fishnets between the two of us."  
"Three." Suigetsu piped up.  
"Whatever, truth."  
"Tsk, boring... or maybe not. Say, Sasuke. Have you ever wanted to sleep with any of your friends?" Ino, Sakura, and Karin leaned in, watching the frozen Uchiha. "Or, better yet, had a dream where you... did things to them?"  
Sasuke sent a sharp glare to shut the grinning teen up. See, Suigetsu knows something. Something a mentally unstable Uchiha told him back in high school. Something Sasuke couldn't even tell his very best friend. Halfway through lifting the bottle to his lips, something brushed his arm. When his gaze shifted to the person next to him, blue eyes squeezed his heart, and he almost didn't hear the tipsy blond.  
"Well, have you?"  
The bottle lowered. "...Yes."  
Naruto's eyes lit up. "Really? Who?!"  
The raven couldn't bring himself to answer. He only shook his head, oblivious to the glances bouncing around them.  
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTT?!" A shriek jerked both boys away from eachother, and brought their gazes to rest on a panting Karin. Suigetsu Had a smirk on that was way to sinister to be innocent, and Sasuke's heart beat loudly in his ears as he realized that the obnoxious redhead had probably just been told, the biggest secret of Sasuke's life. Obsidian eyes darted to the object of his affection, who was calmly asking Gaara if he could please chew on his _own_ sleeve. Panic slowly began to pinprick his skin, twisting his stomach to send bile burning the back of his throat. His vision was less than clear, and he had to shake his head to stop the room from spinning. Sasuke wasn't sure what to do. He knew exactly what it was, but he'd never had a panic attack while he was drunk before.  
"Naruto." The blond glanced at his panting friend, cursing, and shoving him down on his back when he took in the pained expression.  
"Shit, Some body get me water!"  
"What's happening?" Sakura's voice cut in.  
"He's having a panic attack! He gets them all the time, now will somebody get me some water!" Naruto leaned in, feeling Sasuke's pulse, and swearing. "Sasuke you need to breathe. You're hyperventilating. I know you told me it feels like you're suffocating when this happens, so try to relax. Imagine that your lungs have stopped expanding, and then slowly stretch them. There you go, nice and easy. Okay. Hinata-chan has gone to get you water. For now, I want you to focus on me." Sasuke snorted. 'that won't be hard.'  
"I'm, fine Dobe." The second the words were out of his mouth, pain seared his brain, his vision actually blanking before white spots danced in front of his eyes, and he could vaguely see again.  
"You are not fine, you idiot, you wouldn't be in pain if you were. Remember your focus object, you know the drill." Naruto's voice was soft, and low, being careful not to trigger a migraine. That happened sometimes and it was hell. As embarrassing as it was for Sasuke to be freaking out over this, he couldn't deny that it was a medical condition, and he couldn't control it. With a sigh of resignation, the Uchiha lay back, and let his eyes take in Naruto. The whiskers sitting on top of the soft, tan cheeks were the only blemishes, and Sasuke could remember those rare occasions, when the blond sought him out for comfort, and he was allowed to hold the younger boy. He could remember how perfectly soft those cheeks were, and wished he could touch them now. The unruly locks of blond hair always stuck out at the strangest angles, giving the wild boy a golden halo when he stood in the sun. Black eyes followed a strand as it fell in front of blue, blue eyes. Sasuke's heart clenched as he stared in wonder at the childlike spark that always seemed to soar through his best friend as naturally as blood. A sense of pride washed over him, and he swelled with love as he caught concern, and determination in those beautiful eyes. Such beautiful, beautiful eyes. Naruto frowned. Why was he- Sasuke sucked in a sharp breath as a tan hand swiped his cheek. His wet cheek. Shit! He was crying?! "Er, okay, maybe, we can try something else?" The blond swallowed uncertainly. "Try happy place Sasuke."  
The best he could do was a nod, before closing his eyes, and watching his happy place unfold. Oddly enough, it was a field. A bright, sunny field, with some wildflowers here and there, and untamed grass, standing golden and dry, about two feet tall.  
"Teme!" Sasuke swung around, smirking as a blond teen ran up to him, sporting a grin that could rival the sun. "Come on!"  
"Where are we going?"  
The teen rubbed a patch of dirt on his cheek, and grinned even wider. "You promised me we could play wrestling today!"  
"Did I?" A pout found its way onto the boy's face, and Sasuke chuckled, leaning in, and pressing his lips to the stunning Blond. "Okay, okay. I love you Dobe."  
The other smirked, and leaned up to share another kiss. "I love you too, Teme. Now play with me!"  
In the waking world, warmth spread under the Uchiha's eyes, and he felt huge tears start rolling down his face. The pain in his chest was becoming unbearable, and he couldn't have stopped the strained gasp if he wanted to.  
"Stop crying Teme. Wh- Iv'e never seen you cry like this. What's wrong?" Naruto couldn't help but feel ashamed. He knew how much Sasuke hated being seen like this, and he was supposed to be helping him, not making him more upset! Naruto had kicked everyone outside, and at the sight of the first few tears, they hadn't put up much of a fight. Hinata had just set the glass down, and hurried out.  
"Naruto?" Sasuke winced at the crack in his voice, but managed to smile when his hand was grabbed.  
"I'm still here. Are you okay? I doubt that was because you were in pain..." The elder boy shook his head. "So, what was it? How can I help?"  
Sasuke frowned. "I don't... I don't think you can." Naruto's face fell, and Sasuke's heart twisted so tight that it ripped a little. Blue eyes filled with disappointment was all Sasuke needed. Sitting up, he reached out to brush the back of his hand against tan skin. "Sasuke?" Obsidian eyes watched the soft lips form his name, and he brushed his fingers over the bottom one, relishing the way pink dusted the blond's face with a gentle, uncertain blush.  
"Please don't punch me." Sasuke whispered. Before the curiosity could fade from ice blue eyes, The Uchiha had leaned in, not pulling the other boy with him, and not closing his eyes in expectation. His hand lay softly on Naruto's cheek, and he watched the blond for half a second, before delicately placing his lips on the soft, tan ones that had plagued his mind for, oh, seven years now? When His best friend didn't pull away, Sasuke smiled. Naruto watched the whole thing with a strange feeling. He saw Sasuke lean in, and felt the lips touch his, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Then, his very best friend in the whole wide world smiled, and everything clicked. This is where he wants to be. This is not what best friends are, but THIS is what he wants. He wants Sasuke to hold him the way he does when he cries, he wants Sasuke to smile just for him. He wants kisses to be regular, but not invaluable, and he wants to show Sasuke that he can love him, no matter what. A bursting happiness swelled in his chest, and he closed his eyes, smiling against the raven's lips, and pitching forwards, wrapping his arms around the other, loving when Sasuke did the same, so that even when the two broke for air, both would know just how much the other needs him.  
Outside, milky green eyes narrowed at the couple. Gaara stuck a fist out, ignoring Kiba's pained, "ow! what the shit! Holy fucking-" and turning to address the group.  
"They are having a moment. There will be no snooping, tonight, they will sleep in the bedroom, everyone else gets the living room. If you must congratulate them, you will wait until they are done. This is Naruto's birthday. If any of you actually deserve to be here, you will be happy-" A pointed glare at the girls. "You will give them their privacy-" A pointed glare at Kiba. "And you will let Naruto enjoy this night, as he will be losing his virgin ass, and will be cranky, when he can barely walk tomorrow. On the other hand, Uchiha will be cocky, smirky, and insufferable tomorrow, so be patient."  
Temari raised a golden brow. "What makes you think Uchiha tops?"  
The group was silent as Gaara turned to hug Neji, and whimpered out, "He burns bunnies."  
Kankuro snorted. "Yeah, and the bastard's so possessive, he'll be taking every opportunity to claim what's 'his.'"  
Neji rubbed Gaara's back as the teen cleared his throat and stood straight. "Okay, we- Haruno, are you already making a new fanclub?"  
Sakura, Ino, and even Hinata guiltily looked up from the poster they were decorating. Ignoring why one would bring a poster paper to a birthday, A loud voice made itself known.  
"It is good that the passion of individuality burns so brightly in the springtime of youth!"  
"It's October." Temari deadpanned. "There's nothing springtimey about this at all."  
Gaara glanced back to see Sasuke slipping his hands down the back of Naruto's jeans, and yipped, rushing to loosen the flaps on the outsides of the windows, effectively giving them some privacy. Yes, he decided. It was the beginning of a new era. Shit, and a chilly one at that. Were they just going to stand out here all night while the raging walking hormones got their freaky on inside?! The shit he does for his friends. Giving a thoughtful glance around, the redhead asked, "Is anyone here a virgin? Or knows where I can get a lamb?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a lighter chapter to get away from the depressing stuff. I hope you liked it, and don't forget, I take prompts, so if there's a Sasunaru fanfic you want, but can't find, give me a summary, and I'll see what I can do.  
> (1) that actually was the name of his teddy bear. I looked it up.


	7. Silent Moron

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke is beyond confused when his teammates are... quieter than normal. Not as fluffy as the next chapter will be, but something to keep my waffles sated.

Sasuke was tired. Not like, ninja training tired. No, he was mentally exhausted. Day in and day out he had to sit and listen to the two morons on his team bicker, and bicker. Sometimes, he wondered if it was worth coming to the stupid bridge every day. Skipping missions might spare him the headache. No, this was probably for the best. At the very least every time he didn't put one of their heads through a wall it helped build up his self control.

A sigh escaped his lips as he spotted a bright head of blond hair. Great. His head was to be pummeled with useless chit-chat once again. Didn't he get a break?! Dark eyes followed Naruto as his teammate stepped onto the bridge. 'Here it comes,' he closed his eyes. Naruto... walked right past him. 'WHAT?!' Black eyes shot open to check if the blond hadn't been hit with a kunai. Nope, there he stood, alive as ever, just smiling at the fish that swam under the bridge. Huh, strange... A blob of pink in his peripheral vision brought his breath to a halt as he waited for the squeaky voice. None came. To the raven's shock, the girl just walked right by him. Naruto looked up, and smiled sweetly at her. Sakura nodded, and went to stand right by him. Okay, Sasuke had definitely missed something. First of all, Naruto was quiet, and had flashed a genuine smile at Sakura, not that creepy-ass grin he always wore. Second of all, Sakura wasn't fawning over him like he was Poseidon in a drought. The sixteen year old narrowed his eyes.

"Did you two fuck?"

The horror on both their faces was almost comical, but it was gone in a few seconds, and Naruto shook his head with a chuckle. "No, we didn't sleep with eachother."

'Okay,' Sasuke looked away, hoping he didn't look as confused as he felt. 'Something's going on.'

For the next few hours, Sakura and Naruto played pooh sticks, tossing sticks off the bridge, and running to the other side to see whose came out from underneath first. When Naruto won, he would beam, and dance a little, and Sakura would quietly laugh, and when Sakura won, she would point, and smile at Naruto, who would gape before muttering, 'rigged.' When Kakashi arrived, Sasuke gave him the most discrete pleading look he could, and the Jonin glanced at the other two, quietly playing blue shoe for god-knows-what. 

"Getting along you two?" The silver haired man asked.

Naruto gave Sakura a look, and she stood straight, and smiled. "Yeah. Naruto was just showing me how he plays blue shoe."

Okay, even Sasuke could admit that he was a little curious about that. Choosing his words carefully, the Uchiha scoffed. "There isn't more than one way to play blue shoe."

Anger flashed in blue eyes, and Naruto opened his mouth to yell something, but a ghost of a touch on his shoulder where Sakura was standing silenced the words before they were spoken. "Um," the blond shifted his gaze to the ground. "I grew up playing it with myself, so whenever I had stuff I didn't want to do, I'd choose left or right foot, and assign a chore. whichever foot it landed on, I did that chore."

"Tell him the best part!" Sakura chided.

"Erm, I had a short attention span, so I'd also choose a meal to cook. If it landed on the left foot, I'd have ramen, and the right was whatever I'd chosen to be the meal. That way if I got bored with the chores, I could take breaks to eat or cook."

"And how exactly does this tie in to now?"

"We just chose a food, or a flower, or a colour, and whoever it lands on, we decide how it ties in to their personality!" The pinkette smiled.

Sasuke was still uneasy. Sakura and Naruto were being weirdly... normal.

As the day went on, things only got weirder. Neither teammate made an effort to be near him, or show him up, or yell at him, or even talk to him. When one of them did talk, they seemed content to do so with eachother, and that was the other thing. Sakura wasn't biting Naruto's head off, and the blond wasn't swooning over her. Kakashi was actually the one to break his train of thought.

"What did you do?"

"Hn."

"Sakura and Naruto seem awfully close."

"Hn."

"You're as talkative as ever."

"Hn."

"I ate a mouse."

"Hn."

"Did Naruto finally come out?"

Sasuke froze. "What?"

"Nothing."

"That wasn't nothing Kakashi. He's sixteen, there's no way he's been in the closet for that long."

"You still are."

The raven whipped his head around to stare at his sensei. "I did nothing to either of them, I seriously doubt Naruto's gay, and frankly, I don't give a shit what bit them and sucked out their brains, because for once, I am getting some peace and quiet. You, happen to be the only one here annoying me, so if you would kindly fuck off back to wherever you crawled out of it would be much appreciated."

"Maa, don't be like that Sasuke. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for their muted personalities. We'll arrive at the outskirts of the country in about half an hour. Then You'll be too busy clearing trees to think about it much."

The chunin rolled his eyes. When Kakashi started off ahead, calling Sakura up to watch a bird fly in unusual patterns, Sasuke dropped back a little to walk beside Naruto.

"Oi, Dobe. What's wrong with you today?" Naruto flat out ignored him. "Oi." Still nothing. "Usuratonkatchi." The raven flicked a tan ear.

"Please don't."

Sasuke stared, taken aback at the quiet, polite answer. "Did someone die?" He frowned.

"No one died."

"Then why are you and Sakura going around acting like you've hidden a body?"

The blond stiffened with anger, and Sasuke sighed, glad that he could finally get a reaction. He was still the grown up member of their little group. "You really are a bastard, aren't you?"

Unsure of what to make of that, Sasuke simply watched his teammate speed up to walk ahead of him.

The clearing mission was rough, but the four of them got through it okay, Kakashi stepping in to help with the bigger trees. Naruto and Sakura continued to stay out of the way, and quiet, and as the gates came into view, Sasuke had had just about enough.

"Did I do something to you?" He asked, not daring to imagine what he could've said that would make even Sakura this angry.

That was when Naruto snapped. "Wow, Sasuke! The one time we actually try to do something nice, and you spend the whole day bitching about it! Do you know how difficult it is for us to do what we just did for you?! We don't get a thank you, we don't get a fond look to speak of, and you're still the prissy, cold bastard you always are! You know what?! Bend the fuck over, I'm ripping that stick outta your ass right now! Sakura! Get me some pliers!" Sasuke's hand unconsciously went to his backside. "All it takes is one word! One 'thanks' but noooo, the rich, fancy, Uchiha princess is too self-centred to even give that!"

"What the Hell are you talking about?!"

And just like that, the air stilled. Naruto had a confused frown on his lips, and Sasuke's eyes were wide with angry cluelessness. That cluelessness doubled, however, when the blond snorted, only able to hold in his laughter for a few seconds.

"What-"

"You really don't know! Oh, this is priceless! Ha!" A dark eyebrow raised in question, and the youngest member of team 7 did his best to sober up. "I'm sorry, oh, I'm just realizing how confused you must have been!" Now even Sakura burst out in fits of giggles. "You Really, truly don't know!"

"Yes, we've established that, can we please get on to exactly what it is I don't know?"

"What day is it Teme?"

Sasuke frowned. "July 23rd."

His teammates stared at him as he let that soak in. July 23rd. Sasuke's birthday. "Shit."

"You feel like an asshole yet asshole?"

"That's why- Oh my god."

"Happy birthday Sasuke-kun."

"Seventeen man! Still a bastard, I see."

"It was a birthday present." Sasuke ran a hand through his hair and groaned. "Guys, I-"

"Don't apologize Teme. I'll walk ya home."

A nod from the raven had the team splitting up, Naruto with Sasuke, Sakura on her own, and Kakashi over the rooftops to the acadamy (don't ask.).

"Sorry Dobe."

A devilish grin splayed over a tan face as the sixteen year old laced their fingers together.

"mmm, you can make it up to me when we get home."

"One condition."

"I'm not wearing the dress."

"Not that, although we'll see."

"What is it?"

"We do it in the closet."

A snort from beside him brought a small smile to the Uchiha's lips.

"Bit Ironic, isn't it?"

"That's the point."

Yeah, Sasuke couldn't stand his fangirls, and his boyfriend was an annoying idiot, but Sasuke was, apparently just as idiotic, and he would never take his Dobe's voice for granted ever again.


	8. Have some pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto takes his best friend... uh, somewhere. Will Sasuke go? (Obviously he does, I wouldn't have a story if he didn't)

"SAAAAAAAAAAAAASUKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!"  
The Raven haired senior looked up from his fangirls to see a blond streak barreling towards him. Grabbing the closest two girls, he threw them in front of him, and watched with satisfaction as the three collided, Naruto Flying forwards, somehow, the girls flying to the sides, and Sasuke swearing, and reaching out to grab the back of his idiot best friend's collar.  
"What do you want Dobe?"  
Straightening himself, and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, the blond grinned. "Ah, what are you doing this weekend?"  
An array of answers rose up around them as each of the fangirls tried to explain why Sasuke would be busy this upcoming weekend. While Naruto payed them no heed, Sasuke glanced at a few of the girls with concern.  
"As much as I would... love to spend my weekend in pink fluffy handcuffs," he gave the swooning girl who'd stuck _that_ lovely image in his head a pointed glare. "I don't want to. Get me out of here."  
Flashing a brilliant grin, Naruto yanked Sasuke in, and gave him a deep kiss. Sasuke closed his eyes, and returned the gesture, before the boys pulled apart, glanced around, nodded at each other, and took off, leaving roughly twenty stunned fangirls behind.  
"How much time do you give us?" Sasuke called as he looked back, checking that the girls were still standing in shock.  
Naruto checked too, and answered louder than necessary, causing Sasuke to flinch. "Well, it was a good kiss, but there was no tongue, so I give us another minute tops."  
"Your place or mine?"  
"Yours. It's farther, but there are at least eight different routes, and five are through the city."  
"More people,"  
"more ways to lose them in a crowd."  
"Hn, not bad Dobe. Not bad at all."  
"Shit, they've recovered."  
"What do we do?"  
"Split up, there's no way we make it together."  
"Meet at my place?"  
"See you on the other side Teme."  
"See you on the other side."

When Naruto burst in the door of the Uchiha mansion, Itachi was in the front room, (probably heading upstairs to his bedroom) with a cup of tea, and half a sandwich. Not stopping in his journey to the stairs, the elder Uchiha smiled at the blond, and offered a simple, "Hey Naruto."

"Hi Itachi-nii!" Sasuke burst in panting next, and offered the blond a quizzical look. "What?"  
"You got here first?"  
"Yeah, I took the roofs."  
"So did I."  
There was a moment of silence where the boys tried to figure out how the blond (who took what should've been the longer way) got there before the raven. Itachi watched the exchange with amusement, before humming around his sandwich.  
"There's a letter for you Otouto. I put it on your bed."  
Naruto whipped his head around, and took off up the stairs, calling out behind him, "Nope, that's for me!"  
Sasuke wrinkled his nose. "What, so we get each other's mail now? What are we, some married couple?"  
Itachi turned back to the stairs. "You do make out regularly."  
"No, we kiss regularly to shock the devil long enough to escape her clutches-"  
"The devil's a she?"  
"No, all shes are the devil, and we only make out if it's really bad."  
Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Our mother was too influential in yours and Naruto's upbringing."  
"Sasuke! Get your ass up here!"  
"I'm coming! Give me a second, God!"  
"The wife giving you trouble?"  
"Fuck off."

Naruto was bouncing with excitement when the Uchiha entered his room. Glancing warily at the envelope in the blond's clutches, Sasuke braved the question.  
"So, what exactly is that?"  
"It's an invitation!"  
"An invitation?"  
"Well, sort of. There's a parade down town this weekend! This is just the date and time, in case you forget!" (1)  
"And You sent it to my house because...?"  
"Because if Iruka saw it I would never hear the end of how supportive he is, and everything's gonna be fine."  
Sasuke frowned. "What exactly is this parade?"  
"You'll find out when we get there!"  
"Woah! what? No way!"  
"Uh, yes way. You're free to explore your love of pink fluffy handcuffs, but... this'll be funner."  
"That's not a word Dobe."  
"Actually it is."  
"Well it shouldn't be." The Uchiha seemed very on the fence about going, but one thought of the things those girls might do to him if they caught him alone... "Fine, I'll come."  
"Yes!" Naruto beamed. "You can pick me up at my house on Saturday at 11:00."  
"Fine."

Naruto was ecstatic. He'd finally pushed Sasuke into going to the parade downtown! Glancing at the clock, he beamed, and ran for the face paint. A rectangular rainbow on his cheek satisfied hin, and he set about grabbing his rainbow bracelet, and shirt to wear under his unzipped jacket. When the doorbell rang, Naruto was already at the door. When it swung open, Sasuke stepped back.  
"What the hell are you wearing?"  
"Relax, you've got your normal clothes on, so don't worry about it!"  
"Hn."  
on their way down town, Sasuke noticed more and more people with similar rainbow attire, and he began to wonder how he'd never noticed. Naruto said this happens every year.  
"Oi. You have anymore of that face paint?"  
Naruto smiled up at Sasuke, handing him a pallette. "Here."  
"Dobe, I can't see, you'll have to do it."  
"Oh... right." Getting his friend to stand still, Naruto happily painted a rainbow flag on Sasuke's cheek. "There! Now you'll fit right in!"  
Sasuke responded with a nod, and the two continued on their way. It only took a few minutes to be right in the thick of it. Naruto bounced about happily. Sasuke... well, he was stunned. Everywhere you looked, there was a rainbow. Rainbow flags, shirts, outfits, makeup, balloons, it was almost blinding! Somewhere along he caught sight of pink, purple and blue flags, as well as blue, pink and white. The Uchiha took note of one flag with like a thousand different shades of pink. When he laid eyes on a pink, yellow and blue one, curiosity got the better of him. Tapping his friend on the shoulder, the teen leaned in close.  
"What's with all the flags?" He whispered.  
Naruto stopped to gape for a minute. "You really don't know?" At the slight shake of his head, The other boy burst out laughing. "Oh god you must be so confused right now!" Looking around, Naruto pointed. "Okay. The rainbow flags are for gay pride. Flashy, but sort of vague, they're probably the most common."  
Sasuke stared. "What pride?"  
"Gay. Oh! see that pink one?"  
"I saw it when we walked in. Reminds me of Sakura."  
"Be nice. That one's the lesbian flag. The ones with the pink, purple and blue are for Bi people, they like boys and girls."  
"I know what Bisexual is Dobe."  
"Fine, you don't have to be mean! Ooh! And that pretty pink and blue and white one is for trans people! Uh, the pink, yellow and blue one is Pan- oho!"  
Sasuke looked at Naruto, who was gazing at a blue and black striped flag. One strip of white slit the pattern, and a pink heart sat at an angle at the top left corner. "Haven't seen one of those is a long time!"  
"What is it?"  
"Leather pride!"  
The Uchiha raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is leather pride?"  
Blue eyes danced with myrthe. "Do you really wanna know?"  
"I'm starting to wonder."  
The blond grinned and whispered in Sasuke's ear, "It's gay, hardcore BDSM."  
A shiver ran down Sasuke's spine, and his eyes darkened at the low, raw excitement in his best friend's voice. Then, something occurred to him "Wait, why are _you_ here?"  
Naruto gave his friend a quizzical glance. "What?"  
Sasuke shrugged. "Why are you specifically he-"  
"No no, I heard you..."  
"Then why-"  
"Oh wow."  
"WHAT?!" Sasuke threw his hands in the air.  
Naruto snorted, then giggled, then full out cackled. "Oh my God, I can't believe it! You know, for a genius you're awful dense!"  
"Oi, how am I-"  
"Sasuke. I am like, the gayest person you will ever bring yourself to associate with!"  
Obsidian eyes went wide.  
"You're... Gay?"  
"Mhm."  
"Oh my god." Sasuke ran a hand through his hair. "Oh my fucking god."  
Naruto's bright grin disappeared, and he took a step back. "Is that a... problem?"  
Frowning at his friend's behavior, Sasuke suddenly smacked his forehead. "Shit! No, sorry. I guess there were probably like a million better ways to react to that, come here Dobe, I'm not going to hurt you."  
Naruto visibly relaxed, sighing, and accepting Sasuke's hug.  
"If you're not mad, then... what was that all about?"  
Sasuke closed his eyes. "I just realized that I've been kissing you for years to get out of hanging out with girls, and this whole time you were gay, and I'm probably the biggest dick in the world now."  
Naruto smacked him. "Don't get cocky, you're only a freshman."  
Sasuke snorted. "Seriously though, I'm sorry. I probably gave you a shit load of mixed messages..."  
"Sasuke?"  
"Mm?"  
"Despite the stereotype, the gay blond is not a horny idiot. I'm fully aware that you're straight, I didn't take advantage of the fact that you are okay with kissing me, and all the messages I received were perfectly clear to me."  
The Uchiha nodded.  
"One thing though..." Naruto shifted his feet.  
"Sure, anything. I still feel like a total ass."  
"Would... just today- and it's totally fine if you don't want to! just say no!- but uh, would you mind, maybe just, this once... Kissing me? It's random, I know, but I'm comfortable with you, and I kinda just wanna know how it feels, and I'm really sorry if you're not comfortable, and it's not like this means I'm in love with you or anythi-"  
Naruto was cut off by Sasuke's lips on his own. Blue eyes shimmered in wonder as he felt the kiss run warmth throughout his entire being. Sasuke was warm, aand close, and smelled just wonderful. The smaller boy wrapped his arms around Sasuke's shoulders- 'Shit, he's got great shoulders!'- and squeaked when the Uchiha hoisted him up, supporting his ass, and leaving the blushing blond no choice but to wrap his legs around his best friend's waist. Sasuke broke the kiss a few times, but never gave Naruto the chance to speak, always coming right back in with those stupid, beautiful lips. Naruto was surprised how different this kiss was from anything else he'd experienced. Unlike the rushed, unplanned escape kisses, this was sweet, and careful. Sasuke had done nothing but connect their lips, but he put everything into making Naruto feel safe, and warm, and loved, and _wanted._ It was... incredible. Sasuke pulled away when he felt hot tears running down tan cheeks.  
"What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"  
Naruto Laughed, and shook his head. "It's just... nobody's ever made me feel like that before." The blond's heart thudded in his chest as he awaited the Uchiha's reaction.  
Sasuke shifted so Naruto was being held with one hand, and raised the other to place it on the younger's chest, eyebrows raising.  
"That can not be healthy Dobe. Shit, You're really scared." Naruto couldn't bring himself to say anything. Sasuke sighed, smirking. "You sure you're not in love with me?" He asked simply before leaning in to kiss the blond again, this time in a series of short, full kisses.  
Naruto let out a shaky breath, and swallowed audibly. "Oh god I hope not."  
"Come on, what's the worst that could happen?"  
"First of all, you sound like a drug dealer. Second of all, You could be joking, and I could go into depression and kill myself."  
Sasuke pulled away from where he'd been contently placing little kisses on the tip of Naruto's nose.  
"Relax, that's the worst case scenario."  
Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Okay, let's say I was willing to try something. What then?"  
Naruto frowned, and played absently with the tip of dark, spiky hair. "I guess, if you were really willing to try... It's just, it makes me wonder if I'm not just an easy target."  
"An easy- have you met me?"  
"Yes! That's part of the problem! I mean, you've never shown any sort of interest in anyone before, much less me, and I come out as gay, and all of a sudden you're all roses, and follow me into the darkness."  
Sasuke snorted. "Kay, not a vampire-"  
"You never know."  
"Dobe."  
Blue eyes lowered. "Sorry. I only mean it's weird. It's awful convenient timing."  
Sasuke sighed, reaching around to support the blond with both hands again. "I know. It's not... I think it was _because_ you came out, honestly. My whole life I've loved you more than my own brother, and I could never put a name to it, so that's where I sort of categorized it. See, doing... coupley things with Itachi grosses me out, so I never even thought about doing it with you. You're my sibling, my best friend, my brother-in-arms. That's always what I thought of you. Then, we started kissing to get away from the fan girls, and it... well, it wasn't grossing me out. I think that's when I started wondering, but never really pressed the matter. Then you said it. You said it out loud, and it sorta just hit me. I'm not gay, don't get me wrong. I've got no interest in boys or girls, but there's something... as cheesy as this sounds, different about you."  
Naruto was blushing furiously, and his eyes were narrowed in the cutest indignant glare. "You're right, that is cheesy."  
Sasuke glared right back. "I know, cut me some slack, would ya? It's not like I do this every day."  
Naruto blinked. Slowly, his frown spread into a small smile, and he hunched up to start giggling. Sasuke watched in confused fascination as the giggle turned into a laugh, which turned into full-blown cackling.  
"I'm sorry!" The blond shook his head. "It's just so ridiculous, y'know?"  
"I really don't." "Think about it. Our whole lives, we've been anything but shy. We used to go streaking together!"  
Sasuke's face flamed, and he narrowly resisted the urge to drop his friend on his ass. "We were toddlers! That doesn't count!"  
Naruto shook his head. "Sorry, bad example, but that's not the point! What would actually change between us if we did start dating?"  
Sasuke smirked. "You mean other than my dick up your ass every now and again?"  
Blue eyes widened impossibly, and Naruto squeaked, looking around to see if anyone had heard. "Don't say that bastard! And what the hell makes you think I'd let you do that?!"  
The Uchiha snickered. "We can talk it out when we get home. Other than that I guess you're right. Technically speaking, we cuddle all the time, if this isn't a date I don't know what is, we kiss on a pretty much daily basis..."  
"See? I think we're already dating."  
Sasuke huffed out a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "You'll be the death of me, Uzumaki." Naruto's heart bought a trampoline when the raven leaned in for another kiss, this one every bit as sweet as the first. Naruto shifted a bit, whining uncomfortably when the older boy went to suck on his neck, and he could feel the raven's smirk. The sinful mouth only leaving his skin when a wolf whistle wrenched both their heads to a familiar face framed by long dark hair. When the college student was met with his little brother's Uchiha glare™, he smiled, and gave an encouraging thumbs up, raising his- oh shit. Two pairs of narrowed eyes widened comically as they noticed the contraption the elder Uchiha was holding.   
Sasuke calmly placed his boyfriend on the ground, and smiled. "I'll be right back."  
Before Naruto could object, the boy was off, chasing his already running brother, yelling profanities at him.  
"Itachi I swear to the God that you will meet very soon, if you do not burn the hellfire out of that camera I will hack you into pieces and feed you to my hellhound!"  
"Come Sasuke, I'll split the profit!" "ANIKI!!!"  
Naruto blinked, about to chase after the two when something caught his eye. "Ooh! Churros!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) yes, I know they don't actually do that. You guys will have to bear with me, I've never been to one of these before.


	9. Communication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke's emotional, which should speak for itself. Naruto doesn't know what to to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm... not really sure where this came from. I just find the thought of Sasuke spending hours in front of the mirror hilarious, so...

Naruto Uzumaki had a problem. A huge, huge problem. His girlfriend. That in and of itself was a problem, for the small fact that girlfriend, was _supposed_ to be his boyfriend. Sasuke Uchiha was many things. Girly was not supposed to be one of them. _Great_ at sex, possessive bastard, total dom Uchiha Sasuke, however, was currently sulking in their locked bedroom because of... well, Naruto had no idea. The bastard shoved him out, and locked the door, pouting like a chick on her period before he'd even told his boyfriend what was wrong.

Sighing and knocking softly on the door, Naruto tried to calm the angry boy. "I'm sorry Sasuke, I didn't mean it. Can I please come in and put some pants on?"

"You don't even know what I'm upset about! You can stay out there in your underwear."

"I apologized though..."

The muffled shout was accompanied by the thunk of something being thrown. "It doesn't matter!"

Exasperated, Naruto flung his arms up. "Then tell me what I did so I can fix it!"

"You can't fix it!"

"I- look, Sasuke. I don't know what I did. We'll never get anywhere if we're always fighting like this."

"Oh, so now you think our relationship is going nowhere?" 

The blond winced as what he assumed was his alarm clock smashed from inside. Wasn't this _why_ he wasn't dating a girl? "That's not what I said, and you know it. I love you Sasuke, you know I do. I say it every day. Now if you could stop acting like some bratty teenage girl, that would be a blessing."

That was the wrong thing to say.

"Get out!"

"What?!"

"GET THE FUCK OUT! YOU DON'T RESPECT ME, YOU DON'T KNOW ME, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF YOU FUCKING LOVE ME! GET THE FUCK OUT!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be the heartthrob of our senior year? How come all these chicks want to date you when you ARE ONE!"

Silence.

"Sasuke?"

Naruto flinched as the door opened to reveal a beyond pissed off Uchiha. "You think I'm a chick?"

"W-well, I only said you were acting like-"

Sasuke grabbed Naruto by his hair, and pulled him into their room, passing the broken alarm clock, and a wooden fox figurine that was thankfully still in tact, promptly throwing the blond on the bed, and crawling on top of him, pinning his arms in place.

"I'm as much a girl as you are a virgin, Naruto."

A shiver ran up the blond's spine, and he stopped struggling, choosing instead to ogle his boyfriend from beneath him, taking in the dark, obsidian eyes, the pale skin, the strong jawline, and every one of the sharply defined muscles shifting underneath the various tattoos here and there. A tan hand ran greedily over the intricate circle on his boyfriend's shoulder, and Sasuke, equally as enthusiastic, felt up the complex spiral dominating the majority of Naruto's stomach. Resigning to his fate of not being able to walk straight for a few days, Naruto sat back, and let Sasuke prove just how much of a man he really was.

SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSUKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Naruto called from the living room in their apartment.

"What?!" Came the reply.

"You've been in the bathroom for like an hour! We're gonna miss our dinner reservation!"

"I know baby, ten more minutes!"

Glancing at the clock, Naruto got up, and sauntered to the bathroom. Raising an eyebrow as he found his boyfriend bent over the counter with his face an inch away from his own reflection, carefully running some cream through his duck-ass hair.

"Ahem." Naruto snorted when Sasuke jerked back to look at him. "You said ten minutes half an hour ago too, what are you doing in here?"

"The hot water isn't working, so I'm using a fast-acting, air dry conditioner gel."

"Yeah, the hot water isn't working because you take three hours in the shower, and use it all up."

Grabbing another bottle from his side of the sink, Sasuke shrugged. "I do what I need to, and it takes however long it happens to."

"You shave your legs, Sasuke." Naruto deadpanned.

"Well, you don't have to, so you don't get to complain!" The raven frowned, rubbing what Naruto assumed was moisturiser into his face.

"Oh my god, I'm living with Beyonce. I can't believe I let you fuck me."

"I'm almost done."

The blond glanced at his watch. "Good, cause we have to be there in fifteen minutes."

"What?! Why didn't you tell me that Dobe, we've got to go, now!"

"Oh, so now this is my fault!"

Sasuke snatched his keys, and headed for his luxury car outside.

"Can I drive?"

"In my Aston Martin? You fucking wish."

"Teme."

The two arrived at their date a few minutes late due to a group of girls squealing, and asking to take pictures with the hot boy and his fancy car. Sasuke, of course declined, but Naruto couldn't see the harm, so much to the Uchiha's annoyance, agreed wholeheartedly. The whole thing would've gone smoothly, had Sasuke not witnessed one of the girls grab his Dobe's ass. The Uchiha snarled, slammed Naruto against his expensive car, (courtesy of his brother) and proceeded to kiss him silly in front of the dying girls with cameras. As a result, the two had entered the building a little bit late, having been unable to resist hot car sex once the girls were gone, and Naruto was looking less put-together than he'd like. The waiter bowed with an awkward smile, but was clearly checking the tousled Naruto out. Sasuke led his blond by the small of his back, sending a pointed glare at the raven, who simply smiled again, and told them their server would arrive shortly once they reached their table.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his seat, scowling.

"What's wrong Dobe?"

"What's wrong?" The blond gaped. "My ass hurts, that's what's fucking wrong bastard!"

Sasuke smirked. "Say that a little louder Naruto, I think the guy in the alley outside had trouble with the pronunciation."

Tan cheeks flared. "Teme!" He hissed.

"I don't mind the restaurant knowing I own that pretty little ass of yours, but if anything I should be complaining."

" _You_ _?_ What the hell for? You got your sex, didn't you?"

"Yes, but those seats were expensive, and now they're all sticky, so unless _you_ plan on getting in there, I have to pay to get them cleaned."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Remind me again why we don't live like kings?"

"Because I'd be too easy to find, and girls from school would never stop coming to our house."

"Mm."

The two quieted while a young girl asked what they'd like to drink, constantly fumbling over her words, and a vibrant blush never leaving her cheeks as she stared at Naruto for the duration of her time there.

Naruto frowned, picking at a napkin as he tried to form a sentence in his mind to refrain from saying something stupid.

"Sasuke..." He began hesitantly.

"Hn."

"W-we need to talk."

Sensing that this was going to be a serious conversation, the Uchiha lowered his menu and sighed. "Can it wait? I'd like to enjoy my date with my beautiful boyfriend."

Naruto flushed sweetly, but shook his head. "Sorry, I don't know when I'll be able to bring it up again."

Sasuke frowned. "Are you alright?"

"Yes! It's nothing like that! I just... there's some things... this feels really stupid now."

Sasuke nodded at the girl as she placed their drinks down, bowed, and left.

"It isn't stupid if it's bugging you."

Naruto held his face in his hands. "Okay, but then you go and say shit like that, and I feel bad!" He whined.

"Just tell me what the problem is."

"It's you! Sort of." The blond lifted his head, looking confused. "No, I guess it's that I don't know how to deal with you. Argh, but that sounds awful. It's not you, it's me- no, that's worse."

Dark eyes narrowed. "Naruto, are you trying to tell me something?"

"Yes!" Catching his boyfriend's expression, Naruto realized his mistake, and floundered. "Nonononono, that's not it! It's not what it looks like!"

"That's what people say when they cheat."

"I didn't cheat on you bastard, do I look like I have the energy for a side hoe?" The blond deadpanned. A small snort was all the answer he received. "Yeah, you're the _only_ one who wants this piece of ass."

"That's not true and you know it. Take a breath, calm thyself, and say what you need to say."

Blue eyes closed. "Okay... All I'm saying, is that you're mood swings are getting a little out of hand."

Sasuke frowned. "Mood swings?"

The blond gaped. "You can not tell me you don't notice."

"Notice what?"

The boys were interrupted by the shy waitress. "E-excuse me? Are you ready t-to order, o-or did you need more time?"

Sasuke raised a delicate eyebrow. "I think we'll wait a few minutes."

"Of course sir. I-I'l be back soon to check in."

Naruto was quick to answer the aforementioned question once she was gone. "Notice that one minute you're screaming at me, and throwing your hairbrush because I moved your gel, and you accidentally put moisturizer in your hair," Sasuke scowled. "And the next you're bending me over the nearest counter, or table, or couch, or fucking car!"

The Uchiha blinked. "I didn't know it bugged you that much."

"Look, I love you, Sasuke, I really do. I just think we need to work this out. Otherwise..." 

Sasuke waited patiently. When the blond didn't continue, he prompted him. "Otherwise...?"

Naruto sighed. "Otherwise this thing may not work out. I Started dating you because I loved how calm, and collected you were, no matter what I threw at you. Because I hated the way you were good at everything, but still made me feel special, and in a way, I loved it. Because Sasuke Uchiha is a mystery. Not a screaming, whiny, hairbrush-throwing... chick."

Sasuke gaped. "Are you... breaking up with me?"

"No. I'm asking you to work through your mood swings with me. It's exhausting, Sasuke, and it's not who you are. At least... it's not who you were, when you asked me out. I'm not leaving you for this, but if you're not willing to tone it down to a less extreme level," Naruto blinked, trying to keep the tears at bay as he finally realized that this was happening. "I just, I can't be this exhausted all the time, and I'm sorry if I'm making this about me, but it _is_ about _us_ , and I'm half of that, and if this goes to hell, I'm not sure exactly how I'll handle it, so I am begging you, Sasuke, to let me help you. I am _not_ saying that I don't need you, and I am not asking you to do this alone. Please understand that I'm not trying to tell you to go back to who you were five years ago, and I'm not saying you're not allowed to change, or that I have to pick and choose who you become." Hot tears broke through as Naruto tried in vain to convey the message, his frustration building with each second his boyfriend sat in silence.

"Please say something Sasuke." The Uchiha stood, and a ragged sob tore through the blond's chest. "Sasuke, please don't leave me here, where am I gonna go? We live together, and you're my lift! Sasuke!"

The raven said nothing, even as he passed a shy violet-haired girl, and stepped out into the cool, evening air. Even as Naruto followed him, calling after him, but not stopping him. Getting into his car, he locked the doors, ignoring the banging on the passenger's side. Slowly, automatically, he turned the key in the ignition, and applied pressure to the pedal beneath his feet. He needed to do some thinking.

Naruto stood in shock as Sasuke's car sped off down the highway. Tears chilled his cheeks, and a shiver sliced through his skin, though he barely felt the cold. "He left." The young adult's voice was shaky with disbelief, regret, grief, and fear. "... w-what am I supposed to do now?" Fresh tears warmed his face for an instant, before cooling again swiftly and dropping to the ground. Naruto looked around the nearly empty parking lot, before screaming in the direction of the highway. "WHAT THE _HELL_ AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW YOU BASTARD?!" 

The answer was simple; show up in tears at his friend from college Kiba's place after two hours of walking, barely manage to stutter out 'it's Sasuke,' and drink your mind into oblivion at the nearest cheap, crappy bar. Naruto was wasted within the first few bottles of beer, but Kiba was too pissed off at Sasuke to stop his friend from ordering four shots of 'the strongest shit this bar has' and downing the alcohol like an addict.

Naruto kinda liked being drunk. Of course he knew he was drunk, no one would want to be sober after having the love of their life ditch them outside of what was supposed to be the place for their fancy date. Naruto would've liked a fancy date. Nice change of pace. He briefly wondered if Kiba would like to take him for a fancy date. He liked Kiba. He had a nice dog. Weird taste in dog food, but Naruto kinda liked weird dog food.

"Tiba?" A frown found pink lips when the name came out wrong. What was Kiba's name again?

Dark eyes made him blink, and try to focus. "Shit man, you're wasted, how much have you had?"

"Errrr, three... dog's size" To be fair, it made perfect sense to the wasted blond. The amount of alcohol he'd had was the equivalent of three dogs. Kiba liked dogs, so he'd figure it out better this way. Or maybe, Kiba _was_ a dog. No, that would make Naruto a dog too. He snickered. He could be a fox. The two would play together, and the black cat could go lick it's butt somewhere else. Stupid cats, always grooming themselves. For a second, he pondered _why_ he and his dog friend would exclude a poor kitty that only wanted a bath, but then he remembered that he was having a conversation, and snapped out of it. 

"Huh?"

"I said, I'm taking you home."

Naruto blushed, glancing down. "Are you sure? It's so soon."

Kiba rolled his eyes. Wait, if Kiba was a dog, what would Akamaru be? No, wait, conversation. Maybe a squirrel...? "Let's go, you're staying over at my place. Shika should be home by now."

Naruto gasped, jumping up to follow, and clapping excitedly. "Shika! When's the last time he played with us? Do we even still know him?"

"People don't just, disappear the second they leave for two weeks."

Blue eyes fell as the blond stepped into the car. "You'd be s'prised. People turn into totally different people when they expire."

Kiba blinked, starting the engine. "Shit man, what the hell did Uchiha do to you?"

Naruto glared. "He sexed me up, and threw a hairbrush at me 'cause I moved his gel, and left me in the parkin' lot o' Huge ah's. All alone! We didn't even eat!"

"Wait, okay, so you had sex,"

"A _lot_ of sex. I mean like, we were going at it like Kakashi-sensei and... whoever he's doin. We were fuckin' like rabbits!"

"Okay! I get it! Gross dude. Then, he threw a hairbrush at you, because you switched the lube?"

blue eyes narrowed. "No, he put face scream in 'is hair, an' I tidied, so it's me he yells at."

The brunet glanced at his friend, his lips downturned. "You tidied, and he threw a hairbrush at you?"

"He gets moodsings, i's my fault."

"How is that your fault?! You did something nice for your boyfriend, and got hit for it, that borders on abuse!"

Naruto shook his head violently. "N'n'n'n'no, he not abusive, he loves me."

Kiba sighed. "Okay, then you said you got left in a parking lot?"

"He takes me out fer a faancy date, an' I get all excited, an' he left me there a'cause I asked him wif my words to stop being a girl."

"You asked him to _what?"_

"Stop being so sexy, and then angry! Before we could even eat, 'e jus gets up, an I's crien, an he leaves me in this huge friggin parkin lot at Huge ah's!"

" _Hyuuga's?"_

"'as what I said."

Kiba said nothing as he pulled up to his apartment building, and helped the blond inside. In the elevator, Naruto wanted to push all the buttons, but Kiba didn't feel like riding all over the place, so he only let him push the buttons above the ninth floor, which was his. 

"Boyfriends are assholes!" Naruto groaned, pouting as Kiba fumbled with his keys. 

"I just can't believe he left you there! That's a two hour walk to my place! Yours is closer, but I understand why you wouldn't want to go there. Fuck, if I ever get my hands on that son of a bitch I'll string him up to the ceiling fa-" He trailed off, standing in the doorway and staring into his living room. 

Curious, Naruto peered past him, noticing Shikamaru sitting on the couch with a stranger. Wait... Oh _shit_. That's no fucking stranger. Blue eyes slitted as Sasuke stood, hands up, and an apologetic expression on his face.

"Naruto! Oh thank god, you're okay! I went back for you, but you weren't-"

"You went _back_ for me?" Kiba stepped away, letting the angry blond stalk forwards. "You never should have _left_ me! I wandered around for two fucking hours until I made it here! And I'm just s'posta _forgive_ you because you, oh gracious prince, went _back_ for me?!" His words seemed to clear up as the drunken slur was overthrown in the midst of the boy's anger. One final step brought him face to face with his... boyfriend? Ex? What the hell were they now? Sasuke frowned as Naruto seized his shirt. He opened his mouth to say something. Naruto didn't want to hear it. Drawing back a fist, the blond slammed a punch square in that perfect little nose. Sasuke staggered back with a loud, "Fuck!" and the scowl on Naruto's face erased any hope of sympathy. Kiba raced forwards, grabbing his friend before the second punch could land.

"Calm down man, you don't want to get charged with assault, do you?!"

Naruto snarled. "I couldn't care less right now."

Shikamaru hauled the swearing Uchiha off the ground, inspecting his nose. "He broke it." The genius stated, lifting a hand, and flicking the bloody facial feature. Sasuke leaped back, cursing, and bringing a hand up to guard his face.

"What the fuck?!"

Shika shrugged. "Let's be honest, you deserved it."

Sasuke stood, facing his boyfriend, and the blond's best friend. "Naruto, listen to me." Blue eyes rolled, but Naruto shrugged Kiba off, and stood impatiently with his arms crossed. "I know I shouldn't have left you there, and I know I can't expect you to forgive me right away. I did some thinking, and realized that just the way you explained your problems to me should be a red flag. You danced around the topic, and then were afraid of the answer you gave, and were constantly trying to explain yourself. For good reason too, apparently. I'm sorry. That isn't what I want our relationship to be. You shouldn't have to be scared of me." Sasuke took a hesitant step forwards. "I... I've been a really bad boyfriend, you're right, and I had no right to be upset at you because you needed something from me that I wasn't giving. That's what I promised you. I promised you that you would be my everything, but I'm not giving you the attention you need. I went back to the house, and I threw out all my non-essentials." Blue eyes widened. "I..." Sasuke was almost pleading now. "I promised you I would love you, and by _god_ , I do. I just... haven't been showing it. I love you, Naruto, I do. I really, really do. I need you to come home. I need you. Please."

Naruto stood in silence for a moment, then sighed. "Wow." Sasuke flinched. "That last part was so freakin' cheesy. I don't think I've ever heard you say that much at once." Stepping towards the softly smiling Uchiha, Naruto inspected his face. "Are you okay? Did I punch out a critical part of your brain?."

Sasuke, ignoring how much he knew this was going to hurt, pulled his blond idiot in for a kiss. "I don't deserve you."

"Nope, ya sure don't! But I get to flaunt you around campus, so we're even."

Shikamaru snorted. "Gross you two. Naruto, you might wan't to take the dark lord here to the ER, that punch was serious."

"Oh shit, that's right!" Looking carefully at his boyfriend's nose, Naruto cringed. "I'm sorry babes, got carried away."

Sasuke shook his head. "M-mh, I deserved a lot more than that."

Shoving the raven out the door, Naruto thanked Kiba for taking care of him, and promised he'd keep him up-to-date.

"So... You got rid of all your... girly stuff?" Naruto glanced to his boyfriend in the passenger seat, poking the padding on his nose. "Don't do that Sasuke, they said to leave it alone."

Pulling his hand away with a sigh, the Uchiha nodded. "I got rid of everything..." Feeling the hesitation, the blond looked to the raven, who appeared uncomfortable.

"But...?"

"Okay fine, I kept the moisturizer!" Sasuke tensed as a laugh rang through the car.

"Thank you Sasuke. I could never ask you to choose me over your moisturizer. Jeez, I can't believe you did that. You didn't have to, y'know. I only needed you to stop being so uptight, and hissy. You can still take care of yourself."

"No, it's fine. Half of those were about to expire anyway."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Sasuke spoke.

"Naruto."

"Mm?"

"If you want..." The raven swallowed audibly. "I mean, since I've been so... demanding of you... when we get home, I-I mean... You can....... Top."

Tires squealed on the dark, empty road as the blond hit the brakes, jolting the car's occupants. Wide, blue eyes turned to an uncomfortable looking Sasuke.

"Did you hit your head?"

"Uh, no?"

"You... you're serious."

"I am."

"Sasuke, do you _remember_ the time we tried to shove a vibrator up your ass?!" 

The Uchiha flinched, and nodded. 'A little too well.'

"So you remember trying five hundred ways to get out of it, and then screaming, actually _screaming_ when it went in." Another nod. "Not because it hurt, you told me, because it felt 'girly.' Sasuke I don't think me topping would be such a good idea. For one thing, it took you ten minutes to get hard after the vibrator was finally out, which I didn't think was possible. For another, it would remind me too much of my times with girls. I don't think either of us would get off like that. Let's just accept that you're a possessive Uchiha, who would never, in his right mind bottom, and I live to have you inside me." Naruto started driving again.

Sasuke sighed with relief. "Oh thank god."

"Shit, you really are sorry."

"So sorry."

"Jeez, that's something I never thought I'd hear from y- Sasuke!" Naruto hissed, his body bowing forwards as his hands shook on the steering wheel. "That's dangerous! Get o-ngh!" Obsidian eyes locked with Naruto's where Sasuke was bent over the blond's unzipped jeans. This was going to be a long drive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There! This guy's been waiting for a while, so... Here!  
> The next chappie will be a part 2 to Bonded, as I said I would do some two-shots, and it was well-received. Leave a request if there's a story line you wanna read, but can't find! I'll do my very best!  
> Lots of love cinnamon buns!  
> See you in the next chapter!


	10. A flower in the flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto has a rough understanding of his own worth, and Sasuke shows his flower how to grow.

The first thing Naruto remembered from the day he broke down, was being alone. Kakashi was scouting, and the four of them had gathered together for a mission, so they were nowhere near the village, enjoying the 'just like old times' vibe. Sasuke had repented. Naruto had done as he promised, dragging the seventeen year old back to the village kicking and screaming. Sort of. The kicking and screaming had come during the fight, and when Naruto won by the skin of his teeth, Sasuke was actually quite willing.

Sakura had taken the boy out into the forest to show him some healing herbs, and it was sort of funny how fast he'd agreed, and asked Naruto if he was coming. The blond glanced at the pleading kunoichi, and sighed, declining. Then, he was alone.

Unable to sit still, the blond had taken a walk in the forest, trying to ignore a familiar feeling creeping up his chest. It was tight, constricting, and it _burned_. It burned like nothing else before, and there was nothing he could do about it, because he was alone, and without people, the burn would intensify, growing bolder, and meaner, and even the Kyuubi couldn't stop it. Naruto had grown up with this burn. An ugly, unwelcome scorch mark in the vast plain of his childhood. Loneliness. The shadow at the door that no one would open, save for a poor, lonely blond, who opened it simply because no one had told him not to. As a child he'd welcomed the burn, deciding that it was simply what he deserved for being alone. When he grew up, the burn was accompanied with a twisting sea of guilt. Why does he still open the door? What right does he have to be so lonely when thousands stand by his side?

Sitting down on a tree branch, Naruto stared at the forest below. A fox passed by, and the blond felt the Kyuubi reach out to brush it's presence. The animal laid down, watching a bush rustle. Naruto watched too, but he felt more than he saw what happened next. The bush exploded as a rabbit came barreling to the fox, who stood up, and walked towards it. Kurama's chakra weakened, and a snarl erupted from snapping jaws. Only when a hot chakra released the dead rabbit did Naruto realize it had been there, and he let a smile grace his lips. The Kyuubi had fed the fox.

Hopping down from the tree, he took a step towards the fox, who hadn't taken his time with the meal at all. Reaching out a hand, Naruto froze. If this thing bit him, he'd have asked for it. Seemingly annoyed at this petty human's hesitation, the fox pressed it's head into the blond's palm, remembering the soothing aura of it's mother when the warm palm felt the furry flank. The first human it'd come in contact with, but it felt so right.

Naruto smiled softly as the animal began to bounce around him, playing an unknown game. He indulged himself, feeding the Kyuubi's chakra through his veins, and activating a sort of hybrid jutsu between substitution, clone, and transformation that he'd developed, and perfected only when he used the fox's chakra. Furry ears popped up on his head as he took the fox's genes from when the Kyuubi had brushed it, and cloned the animal, using the new genetic structure to transform into. A tail wagged behind him, and in truth, he could've left it at that, but he delighted in this particular transformation, and opted to go all the way. The fox stared in wonder at the... well the fox in front of it. The creature smelled just like it's own self.

"What is this thing?" He wondered aloud.

The fox that was human not a minute before wagged his tail, and touched their noses, replying in a deep voice that was surely not his own. "The kit is a smart one, and is human, and me."

"Human... and you?"

The fox dipped his head, reaching out with a demanding chakra that forced a whimper from the startled creature.

"Kyuubi." He stared in wonder. "The Kyuubi is supposed to be sealed away."

"My host combined our chakra evenly, mixing it with nature energy to bind us as one. He controls the transformation, and uses me to speak, as I am more diverse with my language."

After the initial shock of meeting the nine tailed fox, the two played for a good half hour, before the blond became tired, and unbound the nature energy, releasing the fox's chakra once he had surrounded it within his own, thwarting any possibility of the nine tail's escape. The fox watched, mesmerized, before padding around the blond. Naruto watched the animal with a smile, and for just a second, the burn was contained.

"I guess you're all alone too, huh?" He reached out to pet the fox. When the creature felt the hand on it's fur, it made it's way to the front of the human. Naruto only had an instant to wonder what it was doing before a black paw lifted, and placed itself on the blond's chest, right over the burn. A gasp flew from his lips as the pain exploded, every vein in his body lighting aflame. The burn was no longer just that, now so excruciating that Naruto had do double over to keep from crying out. Even the fox withdrew his paw with a wince, and waited for the boy to stop shaking to brush him again. Blue eyes glistened with tears, but a smile fell on peachy lips that tugged at the forest's heart. "Heh, sucks doesn't it?" A few traitorous drops slid down tan cheeks, and Naruto closed his eyes in a pathetic attempt to hold them back. "It sucks being alone." Reaching out to pet his new friend, Naruto's eyes snapped open.

The fox was gone.

He was alone again. Blue eyes slipped shut as a whisper of a cry fled the trembling boy's lips. Wrapping his arms around himself helped only a little to ease the dull ache of desperation in his lungs, and he found himself trying to remember the last time he felt this bad. It wasn't hard. The night Sasuke left. Even the memory of the weeks of fighting depression for his very life brought a stone to his throat that he found himself unable to swallow. Those had been the most horrible weeks of his life, and memories of blood marred tiles of a bathroom floor sent his hand unconsciously gripping his wrist, where only the memory of a prying blade remained, no scars to show for his cowardice. He remembered why he did it. Remembered the look Sasuke gave him when he left. The unspoken words that hung in the air, even now. The closest thing to a scar Naruto would ever have. 

"You will never be good enough for me."

The village, he could deal with. Sakura, he could deal with. Hell, the whole fucking world he could deal with, but knowing he would never be anything to the one person in this world that was, and will always be his everything... it was the only thing he could think of, that made him want to die. Sasuke had acknowledged him. Sasuke had taught him, and fought him. Sasuke had held Naruto up high when his own legs failed to do so. Sasuke had _wanted_ him, and thrown him away. He remembered sitting in the bathroom with his kunai in hand, slicing careful lines up both his arms. He remembered the blood, the pain, the relief... and then the anger. He remembered the scream as he watched his wounds heal. The salty tears cascading down his face as he sliced with abandon at the skin. Blood poured from his arms, but he couldn't bring himself to stop, and by the time his consciousness failed him, his bathroom was a deadly crimson, and his arms were mangled supposedly beyond repair. Iruka had found him, cried like a mother who'd lost her only son, and been found by Kakashi with the blond in his arms, bloodied to his elbows while Naruto was simply covered. He'd been taken to hospital, but the Kyuubi healed his wrists before he'd even woken up. Iruka hadn't let him out of his sight for months.

Naruto wiped his cheeks angrily, wondering if he'd done something wrong. 'Why do _I_ have to be the depressed one? I'm not even depressed! I'm just... tired. Tired of all this bullshit. Tired of being alone.' Sighing, and pulling out a kunai, Naruto twirled it, watching his tears spatter on the black metal as easily as blood on tiles. 'Kurama...'

* _No.*_

'Please.' Blue eyes sealed shut as he brought the blade to his bare wrist. 'Let me die already.'

* _No.*_

Knowing the wound would heal should've stopped him. He wouldn't get what he wanted, so why bother? touching the skin of his wrist sent a shiver down his spine, and he sighed, cutting down into- what? A hand had snaked around, holding his arm steady.

"Put the blade down."

No. It wasn't supposed to be like this! Of all the people to find him now!

"Naruto." Defeated fingers slipped from the kunai as it was pulled away, and tossed to the side. A shaky breath sounded behind him, and arms wrapped around his waist to hold him close.

"They won't scar Sasuke."

The Uchiha turned him around so they sat face to face, and snarled. "You think I fucking care?! You think nobody told me what you did to yourself while I was gone?! Iruka said your arms looked like hamburger meat!"

The blond shrugged. "They healed."

Sasuke watched the blue in sapphire eyes go out like a light. The color didn't fade, but everything that defined it simply... vanished. Tears fled the dying eyes as rain fell from clouds, and all of it churned his stomach with disgust.

"No, they didn't."

Naruto frowned, displaying his arm. "Yes they did."

Sasuke shook his head, bringing his hand to the burn in the blond's chest. "The blood was wiped away, but the reason, and pain never faded."

Naruto lifted his eyes as his childhood friend lifted his own hand to place over the raven's chest.

And Naruto sobbed.

His hand burned with a familiar ache as it lay on Sasuke's heart. Grief, and joy, and sorrow, and thankfulness rushed through his body, and something broke inside of him. In doing so, something else was mended. The fire in his veins went out as a flood of emotion came flowing from the broken dam. Where the loneliness left a scorched wasteland of ash, and soot, a sweet, neglected longing grew a blue flower, proud, and strong. Naruto felt Sasuke's arms pull him up to a standing position.

"Come here, I've got something to show you."

Naruto followed the Uchiha without question. The two arrived in a small clearing, and Naruto frowned.

"Where are we?"

In the middle of the clearing, stood a stone. At least, what used to be a stone. On the broken, blackened pieces, Naruto could make out an Uchiha crest, and realised what he was looking at just as Sasuke confirmed it.

"My family shrine. Itachi took me here when we were young. It was smashed and burned a long time ago, but nothing's been able to grow over it." The raven pulled the blond over to where one would place offerings, and Naruto gasped. "Nothing, that is, save for this."

In the centre of a dirty, cracked piece of stone, a single, orange flower grew tall, facing the sun.

"We don't know what it is. Never seen one before. It comes back every year. I asked my brother what it was, and why it was here, but his answer was vague. He told me beauty thrives in the midst of pain, and it was my job to find it's purpose. The next day I saw a boy in this exact colored shirt, crying in an alleyway." Naruto's eyes widened. "Do you know what I told my brother?" The blond shook his head. "Well, for a minute I was speechless. I couldn't stop staring at the intense shade of blue that I'd never seen in anyone's eyes before." Naruto's cheeks felt hot, and that new longing seemed to bask in the sudden attraction he felt for Sasuke, who continued, pulling him in close. "I pulled on my brother's sleeve, and I told him, 'Look Aniki, my flower!'"

Before Naruto could ask him why, or laugh, or blush, or do any of the things he wanted to, he found himself yanking the Uchiha in, holding him tight, so unwilling to let him slip away again, and touching his lips softly to the older boy's, who seemed to relax visibly, before pressing his lips down solidly. The kiss was unrushed, and inexperienced, but it was enough. Enough to thank Sasuke for everything he'd done, and bring him guilt for ever leaving his blond alone. Enough to show Naruto how insecure Sasuke was, and give him a chance to prove to the raven how beautiful he stood in the blond's eyes. It was enough to say 'I love you,' and 'I'm sorry,' and it was enough assurance for the both of them, that it wouldn't be their last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that happened...  
> I'm not sure where that came from, but... here you are. Not my best writing... oh well.  
> Thanks for reading cinnamonbuns!


	11. Jealousy will Prevail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke can't stand watching Naruto leave him behind, and decides to pull up to the head of the race, leaving his blond a simple reminder of who he belongs to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO! I finally got a request! I'm sorry this took so long, but my computer deleted it, and I had to start over. I was pleasantly surprised with the way this turned out, and thank you so so much Catherine_Howard for this outstanding request! I hope it was what you were looking for. Lots of love Cinnamon buns, enjoy!

Iruka wasn't the brightest shinobi around, that he could admit, especially when compared to Kakashi. That being said, he was nowhere near stupid. He was a teacher, after all, and he knew enough about jealousy to recognize it long before it hit him in the face. The green emotion was almost too visible that monday, when the teacher walked past his classroom with a stack of books, readying for his date with a very persistent copy-nin, and caught sight of a certain Uchiha prodigy stalking around his old desk, and muttering bloody murder. As much as the brunet would like to know what had gotten the stoick boy so riled up, he also knew enough about Sasuke, after years of teaching the insufferable boy, to know that dealing with the angry Uchiha was a bit like trying to pet a pissed off porcupine, and would likely not end well for any participants involved.

'Yeesh,' He thought to himself. 'I'm glad _I'm_ not the one he's pissed at. Somebody's in for a beating.' Iruka left quietly when the angry muttering turned into a frustrated, "DAMNIT!" and a skilled fist found its way four inches into a wooden desk.

As it so happens, a grocery trip on Tuesday would shed some light on the brooding corner of darkness in the world where Sasuke resides. It happened when an all too familiar voice brought his head around to see A cheery blond bouncing alongside the shyest girl in their year.

"No kidding!" A small head shake from the girl sent Naruto into fits of giggles, and tears almost began rolling down his cheeks. "Oh my god Hinata, that's insane! You're awesome! Can you imagine his face when he sees that friggin spider just, in his fucking hair brush? Sometimes I wonder if Neji spends as much time with his hair as Sasuke-teme! Hah, that'd be a record! I'm pretty sure the bastard get's up at like four just to style that duck's ass he calls a hairstyle!" Iruka's lips twitched downward at the crude language from his favourite student, but it was nice to see him getting along so well with his classmates. Hinata in particular needed some friends. A small gasp brought the teacher back to the two genin, where Naruto was lifting a small cluster of bluebells. "Check it out Hinata! It totally goes with your hair!" With no hesitation, the boy stuck the flower behind the kunoichi's ear. Hinata flushed red, a small smile breaking out on her heated flesh as she quietly thanked her companion.

Iruka would have seen the blond snicker, and scratch the back of his neck, had he kept watching, but a violent 'thunk' brought his attention behind him, where a certain Uchiha stood trembling all over, a scowl clear on his pale face, and a kunai slammed into a wooden table, who's occupant was protesting loudly. A lethal glare shut him up right quick, and Iruka turned his head thoughtfully.

'Now that's interesting...'

Sasuke was never one for relationships, that went without saying, but the Dobe was spending an obsessive amount of time with that blushing, stuttering, sap of a girl Hinata. At first, he wasn't sure why that pissed him off. He'd never thought about the blond idiot being in a fucking _relationship_ before. He'd always dedicated all of his time to besting Sasuke. Everywhere he went, everything he did, was because of the Uchiha. Naruto had been his. Now though, with that... meddling... little... shit. (creative, I know.) Fuck, Sasuke was going off the rails. His behaviour was uncharacteristic, and he was certain Shikamaru, if no one else, had noticed. He had to get Hinata out of the picture. It wasn't like he was into Naruto, or anything. He just used the blond as a challenge, and if the idiot was distracted... oh who was he kidding? He'd been getting butterflies in his gut since the bridge, and the dreams had started not to long ago. Dark eyes snapped open.

'That's it!'

The dreams! How many times in the deepest moments of sleep had he stood over Naruto, and made him his own? How many nights did his mind taunt him with bronze skin beneath his lips, dark bruises as good as any Uchiha symbol on what was rightfully his. Something like that would be perfect to get the message across.

Naruto loved hanging out with Hinata. She was kind, and sweet, and timid, and gentle, but she was so smart! The girl could listen to anything he had to say, and give him a logical answer that he totally hadn't even considered! It was awesome! That's why he was seeking her out now. He'd discovered how lonely she was about a month ago, and had started making an effort to spend time with her. Since then, the eldest member of team 7 had been less competitive than usual, and that pissed Naruto off. Sasuke was spending more time brooding than he was training, and if anyone knew why, why not Hinata? That was the problem though... where was she?

"Yo, Kiba!" The blond waved to his former classmate, and received a hesitant nod. "Eh? What's up?" He asked, glancing around to see any possible reason for the dog lover's nervous aura.

The brunet frowned, as if the answer was obvious, and quickly darted his gaze all around before offering his answer. "Uchiha."

"Hah? No way! He's on my mind too! I was just going to ask Hinata-chan if she could tell me why he's been acting like such a little bitch lately."

Kiba blinked. "Naruto..."

The blond scrunched his nose up, leaning in. "Hey, how come ya look so nervous today? What's wrong, cat on your mind?" Naruto snickered at his own joke, ignoring the uncertainty that ran deep within his veins at the bold ninja acting so...careful.

"What? That doesn't even make any sense, idiot! Didn't you hear? Neji's got Hinata, Shino, and Choji out on a mission."

Naruto pouted. "Aw, really? Shucks."

"Look, Naruto, you should start training more... your team's success rate has dropped to fifty-eight percent since you've started hanging out with your friends more. I know you, so I'm not telling you to stay away from us, just, remember your training too. Oh, and uh, keep an eye on Uchiha, will ya?"

"Teme? What's he got to do with this? And I'm not the one slackin' off, he is!"

The dog lover gaped. "You seriously don't know."

"Know what?!"

A yip brought both their attention to the squirming bulge in Kiba's jacket, and he smiled sheepishly. "Ah, I gotta go."

"Hah?!" Naruto watched his former classmate scurry off down the street, and glared. "Hey! you can't just say that shit and run off!" Blinking in the bright sunlight, he swore, and stompe off the other way."What could I have missed here?" Not two minutes later, the blond came to the training field, and raised an eyebrow at the boy lying in the grass. "Blech. Shika, the friggin grass is soaking wet!"

A lazy eye opened slowly before closing again, much to the blond's chagrin. "Naruto, it's a good thing you're here. You and I need to talk."

"I'll say! What the hell is Kiba's deal?!"

"We're not talking about Kiba. We're talking about Uchiha."

"Why does everyone call him that? It just pisses him off you know, it reminds him that he's the only one left, and then he bitches to me about it on our missions. Also, why the hell is everyone so interested in him today?!"

"That's what we need to talk about. First of all, I take it you didn't hear about what happened yesterday."

The blond nodded wildly, plopping down cross-legged beside the napping boy. "Yeah, what's that about, Kiba was bein' all weird about it!"

"Sasuke beat the shit out of six villagers last night."

"..."

"..."

Blue eyes stared down at the lazy genius, his jaw hanging open. Sure Sasuke was violent sometimes, but he'd never...

"He... there's no way."

"Calm down, before you get angry, you should be flattered."

"Why the hell would I be-"

"I was there, and never once tried to stop him."

Once again, the blond was left speechless.

"He beat on them because they were calling you the demon of the leaf village, and talking about how they'd like to see you get humiliated, and killed. Sasuke wouldn't hold back, and this morning all six were found in that same spot, and admitted to hospital. One may not make it."

The thought of Sasuke being... a murderer shook Naruto to his core. Did the fact that it was because of him make it better, or worse?

"Naruto, they got what they deserved." The blond swallowed thickly, and nodded. "You should spend more time with your team, Sasuke in particular." Shikamaru sighed.

"Kiba said that too, I'm not slacking off!"

The brunet shook his head. "Not to train dumbass."

"Eh? Then why?"

A brown eye opened to study the blond for a moment. "Think about it like this; how would you feel if Sasuke got a girlfriend?"

Naruto frowned. "Well, that would be his choice I guess."

"Sure, but it would mean that he would spend more time out with her than he would with you."

"Well duh, I'm not dumb Shika, cut to the chase."

"Well, just think about it. He's your rival, your best friend. So what if he suddenly blew you off for some girl. No more competitions, no more fights, not even enough time together to spar."

Blue eyes fell to the dew drops on the sunny field.

"I guess, that would be pretty lonely."

"Exactly."

"Wait wait wait, what does this have to do with me?!"

An exasperated sigh fell from Shikamaru's lips. "Just, don't be an idiot and forget about Sasuke."

"Forget? Hehe, I don't think I could if I tried!"

"And yet, when's the last time you two fought together, or competed, or even sparred?"

Naruto thought. "I guess... about three weeks ago. Jeez, has it really been that lo-" A gasp tore from his lips. "I've been spending more time with Hinata-chan than I have with Sasuke-Teme!"

"Finally."

"Shut up you. I can't believe I've been so stupid!"

"Well, you didn't know, so don't beat yourself up about it."

"Shit, he must be super depressed!"

"Don't give yourself too much credit."

"Okay, I'll go see him right now!"

"Uh, I wouldn't, he's still angry. I don't doubt he'll take it out on you."

"He's probably at his apartment!"

"Can you even hear me?"

"Or the other training grounds..."

"Wow."

"I can ask Sakura-Chan!"

"She's training with Tsunade."

"I guess I'll check his place first."

"You do that."

"Thanks Shika! See ya later!"

"Whatever."

Naruto knocked on the Sasuke's door for the second time. "Damnit, answe-"

"What?"

"Gah! Teme, you scared me!"

Sasuke offered an unimpressed raised brow. "You knocked on my door and freaked out when I answered?"

Tan cheeks burned, and Naruto snagged his teammate's arm, and yanked the protesting Uchiha outside. "Shut up, we're having a field day."

"A field day?"

"Yes."

Sasuke shook his wrist out of Naruto's grasp, feeling his skin grow hot with the contact. He settled for walking behind the blond so he could indulge himself just the slightest bit in watching the very nice curvature on the very nice ass as he walked. The first ten minutes or so were spent in a somewhat uncomfortable silence, as Naruto tried to think about things to say, and Sasuke tried to keep his libido under control. The only warning the Uchiha was given before his teammate bolted was an excited squeak, forcing him back to reality as he watched the blond, _his_ blond, rush forwards to hug... _what?_ Hinata was supposed to be on a mission. Why the hell was she-

"Hinata-Chan!" A growl ripped from Sasuke's throat at the familiarity of the suffix. "How come you're here?! Not like I'm complaining, I just thought you were out! Hey! you should hang out with Teme and I!"

The obvious 'don't you dare' in the deep set glare on the Uchiha's face was not lost on the girl, and she hurriedly shook her head. "I-I'm Sorry Naruto-kun, I-I don't think that's a very g-good idea."

"Eh? Why not?! Come on, it'll be fun! We're all friends, right? So why don't we-"

"Dobe, come." Sasuke began walking to the other side of the street.

"Teme, I- Argh, sorry Hinata-Chan, I'll be right back."

Hinata dipped her head in acknowledgement, but slipped away the second the blond was gone, offering the boys some privacy.

Sasuke held his anger at bay until he reached a small alleyway, and stood still, waiting for his companion to catch up.

"Oi, what was that for? How come you're so... angry lately?"

Sasuke's hands balled into fists. "You don't get it, do you?"

Blue eyes narrowed. "I don't know what the hell your problem is! Shikamaru said I should just spend some time with you, and look where that got me! What the hell do you want?!"

The Uchiha whirled around, and grabbed Naruto's jacket, slamming him against the stone wall, and cutting of the strained yelp with his lips, sealing the blond in a kiss that was so unlike the messy, uncoordinated one in the academy. Sasuke's body was clenched with apprehension as he felt Naruto relax against him. He refused to open his eyes to see if his teammate had his own closed, and was beyond ready for the punch he knew was coming. Only it didn't. Naruto hadn't quite responded to the kiss, but he relaxed his lips to make them pliable and never pushed Sasuke away. A few moments was all it took for that Uchiha confidence to come soaring back, and Sasuke's hands were unzipping the blond's jacket in seconds. Never once did his lips pause, even as Naruto's stirred, experimentally pushing back. Both of their breathing was loud, and heavy as their mouths were occupied, and neither was very accustomed to breathing through their nose. Pale hands slipped up underneath the customary mesh shirt, and a shiver raced through his body. Finally, _finally_ he felt the warm, bronze skin that plagued his dreams at night. Naruto gasped as Sasuke felt up his abdomen, talented fingers mapping out the defined muscle religiously. The raven licked at the plump, bottom lip, but never took that chance to delve in. Instead, he pulled away for a second, admiring the glassy blue eyes, and bruised, kiss-swollen lips, before placing butterfly kisses down the blond's jawline, stopping to nip at his neck, and delighting in the thick swallow he received. Naruto whimpered as the Uchiha blew gently on the trail of kisses, the cool air highlighting the invisible claims. Unable to wait any longer, Sasuke licked a small trail up to a tan ear, biting the lobe softly, and diving back down to enclose his lips over the junction of the tan neck, and strong shoulder. A gasp tore itself from plump lips as the blond felt his blood rushing to the intrusion, Sasuke sucking at the skin determinedly. Naruto mewled, and let his head fall to the side, his chest heaving, and the devilish smirk he felt on his neck sending the remainder of his blood rushing south.

"Sah-Sasuke." He clenched his jaw, feeling a warm tongue slip out to soothe the new bruise before Sasuke decided it wasn't quite good enough, and resumed his task. Blond hair smacked into the wall when a thigh wedged itself between shaking legs. "Sas-mmmmm." Naruto was slowly melting beneath his lips, and one hard suck sent the blond's fingers digging harshly into raven locks. "Sasuke." The name rolled off swollen lips in a breathy moan, and Sasuke nearly lost it, breaking away from the skin to see a dark, swollen hickey.

"Perfect." The Uchiha hoisted his blond up against the wall, forcing the smaller boy to wrap his legs around his waist. Naruto's eyes shimmered as he pulled Sasuke in for another breath-taking kiss. Biting the blond's bottom lip sent a shiver all down said boy's spine, and he sighed, sucking his teammates tongue into his mouth. After a few moments, Sasuke backed off, not wanting to go too far. Naruto whimpered, but was silenced when teeth grazed his neck, just above the large, prominent bruise.

"Mine." Sasuke growled, biting down.

"Naruto!"

The blond whirled around at the familiar voice. "Sakura-Chan!"

The pinkette frowned at his neck, inspecting the bruise, and not missing the blush. Without a word to him, the young kunoichi rolled her eyes, and turned to the other person on the bridge.

"Did you have to go and corrupt him so soon?"

"Hn." The amused 'answer' was met with a snort, and Sakura was on Naruto's case all day about what it was like, and if the two boys found themselves in a sticky situation, like a locked broom closet, or other rooms, well, no one would breathe a word about how it had happened. Or why a cackling academy student had the key. Or what the sounds from inside were. Nope, not a word.

Hinata and Naruto spent a little less time together after that, and team 7's mission success rates went through the roof.

Especially the overnight missions...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually sort of challenging to write since Hinata is... well, not exactly my favourite character, but I suppose she's a part of our wonderful Konoha, so she needs some love in the end. Let's be honest, I only dislike her because she's the only reason our boys aren't gay. I honestly feel like grown up Sakura would be a hardcore wingman if the two ever did get together. She'd be locking them in every room she could together, and giving Konohamaru the key.


	12. Bonded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A strong Alpha with a rough past, and an insecure omega with bite. This can only in tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! Another amazing request, this time by freakontour! Thank you so, so much for giving me some freedom with this one, and letting me pick the AU. The fact that I chose A/B/O really says something about the request, because I only use it for the best. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I love writing it!

Sasuke Uchiha was strong, collected, cold, and sought after. He was by far the most feared Alpha in his school, and was almost always alone. If he wasn't alone, he was with Naruto.

Naruto Uzumaki was... well, an oddball. His obvious quirks were simple; class clown, ramen obsessed, and kinda goofy-looking. High school had been rough for him, and fights became all too common, one leaving him with six nasty scars on his face. His biggest oddity by far, however, was his second gender. See, male omega were increasingly difficult to come by. 

The stats were like this:

Alpha made up roughly 30% of the population, with about 58% of them being male. Beta dominated the average population at 45%, and they had about a 66% chance of being female, leaving 44% male. Omega though... The chances of an omega being born male ranged from about 35 to 40%, however, the survival rate of those boys was closer to five percent. The problem with male omega was the collision of their genes. Omega are hardwired to be feminine, and pleasing to their Alpha. The male in them often counters this with what doctors call a 'reject,' resulting in the death of the child within seven months of birth.

Naruto was one of the lucky five percent that got to keep on going, and he'd only ever met one other omega male. A boy named Haku in grade four. At any rate, the unusual second gender left him a target for bullies, and in high school 'bullying' became a little more dangerous, and a lot more 'touchy-feely.' That was when he'd met Sasuke. A few Alpha had run him into a corner, and he'd been heading home early because of an early heat. Had that not been the case, he would've kicked their asses, but Sasuke beat him to it. The omega had sensed the strong Alpha before he'd entered, and was almost afraid the murderous intent was for him. That was when all three of his aggressors were laid out on the floor, and introduced very intimately to Sasuke's temper. The Alpha hadn't left his side until the blond's mother thanked him, and told him to go home. The boys had been close ever since.

College was new and exciting for Naruto. He was delighted to hear that he and Sasuke would be attending the same school, and was intent on getting a dorm with him. Unfortunately, the dorms were divided by gender of the secondary nature, and the blond was roomed with a kind, timid, female omega instead. Sasuke had the joy of being stuck with a cheery, pink haired, female Alpha. Seriously, who rooms two Alpha together? There were, of course, exceptions, for couples, and particularly aggressive Alpha, but Sasuke refused to lose his cool in public, so he let his friend be taken, and put with some, Hinata girl. 

The first two semesters had been wonderful for the omega. He was shocked at the amount of respect he was shown, especially after he beat the shit out of a leering Beta. The next day though, the Beta had transferred, and Sasuke came to school with scabbed knuckles. The Alpha spent more time around Naruto now, and the blond was grateful for it, because the genius could help with his homework.

Blue eyes scanned the page in front of them, squinting at the words. Giving up, the blond heaved a sigh, and draped himself over the table. "I don't get it!" He pouted.

"Tch, Dobe."

"Teme! You try it, see how it goes!"

"Nice try." The Alpha took a seat, glancing around the library, and nodding in satisfaction when he saw they were alone. The omega he spent so much time with had become accustom to his scent, so the Uchiha could release small bursts of androstenone (which warns others that a dangerous Alpha is nearby, and pissed.) without being detected by the blond. It kept others away from him, and more importantly, away from Naruto. "I got you a chai latte." Blue eyes lit up as the omega accepted the drink.

"Thank you Sasuke! Oh! Before I forget, Kiba wants us to go to a party this weekend!"

"No."

Naruto blinked at the quick declination. 

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to."

"Alright then, I'll go by myself."

"You will absolutely not."

"What?! Why?!"

"Because I said so."

Blue eyes narrowed, and the blond's chair scraped loudly as he stood.

"And who gave you that right?" Slamming his Starbucks on the table, Naruto stalked out of the building. He shivered as the cold air hit him, and mentally cursed autumn. "That self-centered bastard, always telling me what to do, what to say, where to go, when to shut up. I ask him for one thing, and he comes at me like he fucking owns me! Jesus Christ it's cold out he-"

"Naruto!"

A familiar voice whirled the omega around, and he almost laughed as he caught sight of Sasuke's bright red cheeks, and nose. He'd always had such thin skin. Then, he remembered he was pissed at the Uchiha, and glared.

"What?"

Sasuke huffed, obviously trying to be discrete about panting. "You left you're sweater inside." Tossing the orange hoodie to the blond, Sasuke trained his gaze on the cement at his feet.

"We can..." The Alpha hesitated, before straightening his spine, lifting his head, and pacifying his gaze. "I'll... I'll take you to the party."

Naruto blinked. "Really?" The Alpha nodded, and he beamed. "Thank you Sasuke!"

Obsidian eyes widened as the omega's pheromones washed over the raven. The scent drew him in, so close he could faintly pick up the smaller boy's heartbeat. Sasuke rested his nose on the omega's scent gland, not backing away when Naruto stilled. The blond pushed forwards into the Uchiha, letting the Alpha scent him. Sasuke did this often. Sometimes it was annoying, but the way it made the omega's heart race, and yet somehow calmed him in the deepest parts of his soul was all but supernatural. It would have felt perfect... if it didn't bring a sharp stab of pain to his chest every time. Sasuke felt the hurt in the atmosphere around the two, and backed off, sniffing for more information. All he could pick up was the shocking pain that reminded him a little too much of the hurt he felt on some mornings when it was increasingly obvious that yet again he'd woken up alone. He wanted nothing more than to soothe this pain, and so he offered the only thing he could think of to lift the other's spirits.

"Come on, I'll take you to Ichiraku's."

The obvious attempt at healing the broken hiding in Naruto's heart brought a smile to the omega's face.

"You aren't half the ass they say you are."

"Is that a compliment, or an insult?" The omega's response was a hefty smack.

Naruto glanced around, awed by the sheer amount of _people_ at Kiba's house. Unlike most students, the Beta had actually been able to hole up with his Alpha in a real home. It was understandable. Naruto could only imagine what Sasuke would be like if he had a mate, and had to share residence with a bunch of other people. Even if bonded pairs were allowed to dorm together, an Alpha would constantly be on edge about a potential threat so close to their property. The blond frowned at the thought of Sasuke snarling protectively in front of a faceless omega, and his own omega stirred distastefully. A hand on his shoulder grounded him, and he lifted capri eyes to find the raven standing behind him.

"We should go."

The growl in the suggestion was quiet, but there, and the uneasy scent of a strong Alpha warding off newcomers made Naruto's heart swell.

"No, it's fine." The blond jumped as a new scent, obviously directed at him to get his attention filled the area. "Kiba!"

Sasuke blinked as his best friend left him, jumping into Kiba's arms, and laughing as the mutt swung him around. The Uchiha was surprised to hear his own territorial snarl swell with the sound of a second angry Alpha, and his eyes darted up to meet startled brown orbs. Shikamaru. The Alpha blinked, before glancing at Naruto, then back at Sasuke. His eyes widened, and he took a step back, acknowledging the claim the Uchiha was staking. Shikamaru already had his Beta. The scar on Kiba's scent gland was more than enough proof of that, but Sasuke had yet to secure the rowdy omega, so Shikamaru would allow the stronger Alpha to deal with the situation. A hint of gratitude mixed with the surprise in Sasuke's scent as he realized Shikamaru was going to let him prove his strength to the blond. It was practically old news that Sasuke was interested in Naruto, but the blond seemed unaware of the nature of the Alpha's closeness to him. A chance to impress the omega was gold, and he let Shikamaru know it hadn't gone unappreciated.

Stepping up to where the Beta and omega were giddily sharing information about various things, Sasuke flared his scent, so strong that half the room turned his way. Naruto all but choked on the cedar and cinnamon that grew so prominent, and Kiba instantly reacted, withdrawing his hands from his friend's, and reaching out with his scent to find his Alpha, who responded with a calming flare. Rolling his eyes as most of the girls in the room swooned, Sasuke concentrated on reeling the warning back, and wrapping a less hostile 'leave this alone' around the annoyed omega. Wait, annoyed? Sasuke watched the blond cross his arms, tap his foot, and raise an eyebrow. Before Sasuke could ask what was wrong, a defiant spark of sweet and smokey broke through the protective barrier. The familiar scent of wild prairies, and campfires roasting marshmallows caused several jaws to drop, and Sasuke to wince in recognition, resigning to simply allowing a faint, apologetic wisp to brush the heavenly pheromones. Shikamaru smirked at the blond's indignance at the Uchiha's possessiveness, but knew better than to voice this amusement. An Alpha across the room was not so adept.

"Wow, feisty omega. Good catch dude. Hot too. Man, I'd love to get me ass like that."

Sasuke wrenched his head to the side, an obvious challenge in the way his Alpha fangs slid out, and a vicious bark rolled out of the back of his throat. The omega in Naruto reacted instantly to that sound. The demanding threat was rarely heard anymore, and usually only surfaced in a deadly fight. A high pitched whine escaped the other Alpha's throat, like a kicked dog, and he shrunk back in fear, and resignation. The bark had shocked the entire room into silence, no one quite knowing what to do. The bark was only ever known to emerge from Alpha, but it was such an animalistic sound that even they never let it surface. It had been deemed socially unacceptable more than fifty years ago, and that was lost on no one as the tension from the usually stoic Uchiha swept over the room. He growled, and darted his gaze around the room, daring anyone to say something about his omega again. As Naruto came back to his senses, he realized that while he hadn't spoken, Sasuke had used his Alpha voice, commanding the entire room to yield as he stood proud in front of his omega. The Uchiha was strong. Stronger than any other Alpha in the school, and if strong enough, an Alpha voice could even be used effectively on other Alpha, but Sasuke... Sasuke had just brought the whole room to their knees. Every head was bowed in fear, or respect, and even Shikamaru wasn't protecting his mate, neck bared vulnerably to show that he realized there was no winning in a fight against the raven. Sasuke was acting feral now, his head whipping around at every scuffle, and a low, continuous growl never dying in his throat.

Naruto had to intervene now. Sasuke was always there for him, and now it was his turn. He knew what he wanted to do, but wasn't quite sure how to do it. He needed Sasuke to smell his own scent on the omega. It was a common way for an Alpha to assure them self that their mate was loyal, and while Naruto wasn't Sasuke's mate, it was obvious that Sasuke was protective- no, it was more than that. Sasuke was territorial around him. He blinked. Oh! Maybe it wouldn't be so difficult after all. 

"Sasuke." The blond cringed a little as his voice rang out loud and clear in the silent room. As expected, the Uchiha's head flew around to look at him, fangs bared, and shoulders raised. Thanking his lucky stars, Naruto widened his eyes and shrunk back, deliberately reaching his scent out to Shikamaru. He exhaled as the other Alpha responded, and silently thanked him, and apologized. The Alpha knew what he was doing, and he knew that if Sasuke flipped out, he'd be pummeled.

The fear that Naruto wove through his scent was easy to accomplish. He simply thought about someone calling the police, and Sasuke being dragged away with the special cuffs, and muzzle that Alpha's are put in. That thought terrified him, and his fear raced through his scent, harsh, and bright, like a wildfire. Sasuke's eyes widened when he caught wind of it, and watching the Dobe reach out to another Alpha for security... security from _him._.. That made his blood boil. A single step forwards -to kill Kiba's Alpha, or calm his own omega, he wasn't sure- caused Naruto to flinch, and suddenly he realized... Naruto wasn't _his._ He didn't belong to the Alpha, and while Sasuke could argue that he hadn't wanted to go in the first place, the fact remains that he'd totally fucked up the party. This was new to Naruto, and the omega was _afraid_. Afraid of _him_. Fuck, what had he done? The regret flashed through the air like ashy pine, and Sasuke retracted his teeth. He had no right to fight over Naruto. He had no right to be this upset. His Alpha was ashamed, and bowed it's head, waiting for the vibrant omega to walk away. 

Closing his eyes, he could almost see the beasts, two spirits intertwined so closely, yet never close enough. A bright orange wolf towering over a cowering, glowing blue one. The omega turned it's head, it's scent angry, and afraid. Unable to rely on it's Alpha, the bond would break, and Sasuke would no longer be able to see Naruto's omega. The Alpha stood, unwilling to let its last moments with its desired omega be those of weakness. The omega walked forwards to touch noses with his Alpha before pulling away sharply, startled by the grief, and shame.

Naruto was astonished. His omega was touching Sasuke's Alpha. This had only happened to the two a few times, and when it did, there was no barrier between their hearts. Only now, there was something different about Sasuke's. He felt the distant smoldering rage for the Alpha who'd talked about Naruto like a trophy to be won, and he felt how sorry the raven was, humility, and sorrow pushing away the anger. He felt the fear, fear that the omega would abandon him, and just below that, fueling the fear... desire. A burning desire so strong that he willed his omega away, but when the wave of apology came, it had made that mistake, and refused to do it a second time. So Naruto was forced to sit there while the searing heat flooded his skin, and soul, and just when he thought he might burn up, a cool, watery presence lapped at the pain. Naruto gasped aloud when the sensation filled him, made him whole. Love. Sasuke was... in love with him.

Sasuke was fucked. Their hearts were no longer their own, and no matter how much Sasuke pulled, his Alpha was too relieved to break the connection. So Sasuke was resigned to his fate, and waited for the blond to feel what the raven had hid so well for the past three years. As he waited though, Naruto's own emotions began to flow through his veins. He felt the pride of being wanted by such a strong Alpha, and the security of being protected. He felt the mischievous intent, and the relief when the Alpha had calmed. He felt the fear. The fear of losing someone precious to you, and with that fear came an ocean of pain. Inescapable pain that ran through your veins like blood. The kind of pain that burned your lungs, and made your heart ache in your chest. Longing. Naruto was alone, even with Sasuke so close. He wanted more, so much so that he would die without it. Human connection was the only thing keeping Naruto awake, and he needed more. He wanted Sasuke. The Alpha could feel that much. He felt the peace of being in such close proximity to him, and the pure adoration that eased the pain for a moment before tripling it. It was an unhealthy mix of love, and self-hate, spurring on doubts that had no right to be there.

When the beasts inside backed off, the party had more or less resumed, and only Kiba and Shikamaru stood by the two.

"Finally." The Alpha sighed. "You guys take a long time to do that."

Sasuke groaned, rubbing his head. "How long?"

"Bout twenty minutes."

Obsidian eyes bugged. "Shit, really?"

Shikamaru nodded, but said nothing else as a sweet scent rushed through the air. An omega's elation. Sasuke turned to see Naruto smiling, silent tears rolling down his scarred cheeks, blue eyes never leaving black.

"Come on." The command in his voice was subtle, but there, and Naruto nodded.

Back at the Uchiha's dorm, Sasuke was asking Sakura, his dorm mate, to give them space. Agreeing easily, she headed out to see her friends. Sasuke was quick to set up some pillows for the sobbing blond, and lay him down on his bed. The omega reacted to the Alpha's domain, and his tears slowed. A hand cupped his cheek gently, and Sasuke studied him. 

"Why are you crying?"

The blond shook his head, and wiped his tears, which Sasuke took over quickly.

"You're such a weird Alpha." Naruto sighed. "I never know what you're feeling, and you always seem to know what I am. It makes me wonder if I'm just a bad omega. I've just... I've been alone for so long Sasuke. I've been beaten so many times. It's so hard to believe that anyone would want mangled leftovers, y'know?"

Sasuke surrounded the omega with his scent, calming him further, and settling down next to him.

"I do, actually. I'm a little stronger than most of my peers-"

"You're a lot stronger than all of your peers."

"Whatever, I've been feared my whole life. Alpha who challenge me only last a few seconds, and people just began to assume I thought I was better than everyone. My family disowned me when I tried to force a reject, and get the Alpha out. I'm sorry, I know I told you they were dead."

"Shit Sasuke..."

"I know it's hard to believe, but believe me." He murmured. "You make me proud to be an Alpha." Sasuke leaned down to scent the omega, who nuzzled him gratefully. "Someday, I want to bite this, and no one'll go near you ever again."

Naruto's eyes shimmered. His Alpha had laid a claim. He loved how different Sasuke was around him. How caring he was, and selfless.

"Heh, I don't think you'll have to worry about that."

"You'd be surprised Naruto." Lips brushed the blond's scent gland, kissing the tender skin above. "You're radiant."

Naruto turned then, to the Alpha who'd brought him home. To the Alpha who protected him, and wanted him, and _loved_ him, and he kissed him. Sweet, and sensual, and deep. Sasuke Never pulled away. Never rejected him. In fact, it was Naruto who had to break for air. Sasuke scented him again, and again, never wanting to let go of the sweet pheromones. Arousal only made it worse, and his instincts began to goad him into taking what he wanted, but he wouldn't. Not until Naruto gave the okay, however long that would be. A scoff brought him back to half-lidded eyes, blue darkened with lust, and something more.

"You're such a sap, you know that?" Naruto flooded Sasuke with his pheromones. "I'm yours, Alpha."

" _Fuck_." Sasuke breathed. "Good omega."

Their beasts never lost contact that whole night, and until the night when two lines on a stick would bring joy, and tears, and Sasuke would bite his mate for life, giving himself away, and in return, receiving Naruto, they walked side by side, flank to flank, and welcomed the new son into their den. They were content, until Sasuke got greedy, and yet another son would soon be on the way. Yes, life was an adventure, but it was one worth waiting for, sticking around to the end to find a family. That's all the boys could ever have wanted, and if Sasuke got to show off his omega every time they went out, well that was just a lucky bonus. Two strong Alpha sons, sired by a strong, desirable Alpha, and a feisty, beautiful omega. 

Mhm. Life is good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme know whatchya thought! Lots of love cinnamon buns! See you in the next chapter! Now I have to go finish a very much overdue chapter on my other story... heh.


	13. A Helping Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura is sick and tired of watching her teammates dance around each other like idiots. Out of concern for her friends, she helps them along, with a special accomplice, but how will the rest of the village react? How will the boys react?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW this one's freakin' long! A special thanks to Catherine_Howard for this lovely request. I hope it was to your liking. Another reminder to leave a request, and I love you all so much!  
> Lots of love cinnamon buns!  
> Enjoy!

Sakura was annoyed, to say the least. She'd been watching her teammates tiptoe around each other since the bridge incident, and frankly it was starting to get on her nerves. More times than she could count, Naruto had made some normal suggestion, like, 'let's go get ramen' and Sasuke had declined with a weird excuse. Three times now he'd left complaining about his cat... Sasuke's allergic to cats. On the other hand, every time Sasuke offers to train, Naruto lights up like a Christmas tree, stammers some gibberish that's supposedly Japanese, and runs off. See, it wasn't just effecting Sakura. It was effecting their team's efficiency. Something had to be done, and Sakura had the perfect person to help her pull it off.

"Y-you want me to, get N-Naruto-kun, and Sasuke-kun t-t-to w-what?!" A pale eyed kunoichi cowered with a prominent blush. Hinata shook her head. "I-I'm sorry, I can't!"

Sakura placed her hands on her hips. "Yes, you can. In fact, you're the _only_ one who can. Save for Neji, but I really don't want to spend four years of my life trying to get him on board. Come on Hinata, you've _got_ to help me!" The pinkette sighed. "Look, come with me for a day, say you're going to train with our team. If you still don't want to help, I'll let you walk away."

Hinata wavered, then bowed her head. "Alright. I'll come."

"Sweet!" Sakura grinned. "God, I can't _wait_ 'till this plays out!"

"Sakura-kun."

"Hm?"

"I'm not locking them in a room together, and putting my chakra through them so they can see each other naked with the byakugan." The Hyuuga deadpanned. "I'm pretty certain that's not even possible."

Sakura deflated somewhat.

"Hello Kakashi-sensei. I-I'm training with team 7 today. Kiba-kun and Shino-kun are taking the day off, a-and I simply can't afford the rest."

The Jonin blinked at the small girl. "Really? Suit yourself."

"Mh, t-thank you."

Naruto beamed from beside his sensei. "Alright! Welcome to the team Hinata! Today, you're one of us!"

Hinata blushed and nodded.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Sakura swooned, catching herself, and reminding inner Sakura that Sasuke was no longer on the table.

"Right then." All eyes turned to Kakashi, who pulled out his book. "Since we have four genin, you can train alone today. Sakura, I know you've been training with Tsunade, and I'd like you to work on honing that monstrous strength. Hinata will be perfect for pointing out the flaws in your chakra flow. Sasuke, Naruto." Here, the Jonin raised an eyebrow at the boys on the bridge, who, Hinata noticed, were discretely stealing glances at each other, and looking away whenever eye contact was made. "You need to actually spar today. Got it?"

"Hai sensei!"

"Hn."

Kakashi smiled, and disappeared with a poof.

Sakura immediately took initiative. "Alright, Hinata and I will go to the forest where there's better room for agility training, as well as better ways to learn about tricking the byakugan. Boys? You should go to training field B, it's empty. Work out your differences, and spar."

With a nod from all involved, the group split, Hinata and Sakura rounding back to follow the boys from a safe distance.

Sasuke and Naruto stood facing each other in the field, staring silently for the better part of five minutes. Naruto was the one to break the silence.

"Sasuke... Why..." He frowned. "At the bridge, I-I know you said your body just moved on it's own, but I've never seen you do anything remotely like that, for anyone! I guess, I don't know, I just gotta know. Why me?"

"Tch." Sasuke glared at his sandals for a minute, and Hinata held her breath. She knew good and well that Sasuke had damn near killed himself to save Naruto on the bridge, and even she was curious to know why.

"Teme, come on! Every time I bring it up you ignore it! Why the hell would you risk your life for me?!"

"Because I hate you!" The raven's fists clenched as he gritted out, "That's why."

Naruto blinked. "Beca- oh wow, real nice Sasuke-baka. Y'know, it probably wouldn't kill ya to be nice. Sure, I wouldn't take you anywhere near a church, you'd burst right into flames, but even you can do better than tha-"

"Naruto would you shut your goddamn mouth and fucking _listen_ for once in your life?!" Sasuke interrupted, stunning the blond into silence. "I don't hate anyone else!" He yelled. "I don't hate people, I don't like people, I don't care! At all! So why-" The Uchiha's voice broke, and he closed his eyes. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

Naruto took a step forwards. "Why what?"

"..."

"Sasuke."

"..."

Tan hands snagged a high-collared blue shirt, and shook the raven. "Damnit Sasuke don't ignore me! Why the hell do _you_ get to decide?! That's what I wanna know!" A solid punch knocked the Uchiha back a few feet. "Who says you get to choose to die when I don't?! Hah?!" Naruto was practically shaking with anger as he advanced. "What gives you that right?"

This time, when the blond grabbed Sasuke, the elder boy flipped him, pinning his wrists under his knees, keeping his hands free in case the blond tried anything.

"Oh, so now you're upset?!"

"Of course I am! My best friend almost died in front of me and I couldn't do a damn thing to stop it!" Naruto screamed.

Sasuke froze. Naruto's pants echoed through the otherwise silent clearing. It was a moment before anyone spoke again, and while it was once again Naruto to break the silence, Hinata barely recognized the pitiful, broken voice.

"Would _you_ be okay?"

Obsidian eyes burned, and Sasuke exhaled shakily. "...no..." He replied simply. "That's why I did it."

When Naruto moved next, it was to slide his hands out from underneath Sasuke's knees, and slowly lift them. The raven said nothing as his teammate's arms encircled him, pulling him close. "Then you get it."

Sasuke pursed his lips, but nodded. "Yeah. If you did what I did I'd be pissed."

Hinata frowned, chewing on her thumb nail. These boys... They needed help.

Sasuke cleared his throat and pushed away from Naruto, who flushed, and scrambled to his feet.

"So, So?" Sakura whispered.

With a sigh of resignation, the Hyuuga nodded. "Alright, I'll help you."

Sakura and Hinata stood in the market place, watching the two boys. A week had passed since Hinata had agreed to help her distressed classmate, and the two were about to put their first plan in action. Naturally. their first plan wasn't too elaborate. It was more of a test run than anything, to see just how much they could get away with, and since the incident had already happened, it was a believable accident.

Trap number 1: An accidental kiss

Sasuke and Naruto weren't planning on meeting up in the market today. The Uchiha had run out of tomatoes, which he found odd, remembering leaving a bunch in his fridge, and had come to buy some. Naruto had been shocked to find his ramen cupboard gaping, and empty, and groaned about his sleep-eating habits that were probably developing from muscle memory. At any rate, when the ramen hadn't been in it's usual place, the blond scoured the market, only to find his precious next to an Uchiha inspecting tomatoes for... well, he wasn't sure, they looked just fine to him.

"Oi! Teme!" With a last disgusted glance at the tomato in his hand, the raven lifted his head.

"Hn."

"Don't give me that! What the hell are you even looking for?!"

Sasuke waited for the blond to approach before answering simply, "Freshness."

Naruto raised a brow, but didn't push the subject.

"Er, I'm here for ramen, but... I really don't wanna go home."

Dark eyes widened. Sasuke was very familiar with the dread of an empty house. "Well I need a bunch of stuff, and you eat like a dog, so why don't we get you some real food."

Sasuke tried not to watch the blush soak tan cheeks, for fear that he may not be responsible for his actions.

"Sure."

Not ten minutes into the boy's shopping spree, Hinata stepped in front of them. The reactions were just as predicted. 

"Hinata-chan!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and scoffed.

The Hyuuga took a deep breath. All she had to do was stall them.

"Hello Naruto-kun. I can't help but notice you look lively today." If she wanted to tease the Uchiha for a bit... Well, who was to stop her.

Sasuke's eyes slitted, and he muttered, "He looks lively every day. What do you want?"

Naruto 'tsk'ed, and swatted his companion. "I can speak for myself bastard, and quit being so rude!" Turning back to the shy girl, Naruto grinned. "Sorry Hinata-chan. What can we help with?"

"U-um." Lavender eyes darted to the paper bag in Sasuke's hand. Any second now Sakura would- A dart flew by, so fast Hinata had to activate her byakugan to see it. The object just barely scraped the bottom of the bag, but it was enough. Splitting open, the bag spilled ten plump tomatoes on the ground. Sasuke cursed, and Naruto stepped back to avoid one fruit touching his shoe. Sasuke was the first to bend down, and just as Naruto was about to do the same, a figure in a beige cloak bumped into the raven. Swearing, straightening, and stumbling forwards, Sasuke reached in front of him to steady himself. Naruto was in front of him, so he aimed for the stall behind the blond. Unfortunately, the safety was a bit farther than he'd bargained for, and just as his hands clapped on the wood, his lips slammed into Naruto's.

Neither boy moved for what felt like hours. Hinata was still frozen from the utter swiftness, and effectiveness of their plan. She actually had to restrain herself from whistling. Sasuke still stood with his lips firmly on Naruto's, his arms caging the boy in. At the same time, each ninja inhaled sharply, and yanked apart, breaking the kiss with a 'smack!'. Naruto raised a hand to his lips, and Sasuke clapped his own over his.

"I'm so sorry, that was an accident!" For once in his life, Sasuke actually sounded worried. A pink dusting stained his cheeks, but it was nothing compared to the burning face, ears, and neck of the boy standing in front of him, still feeling his bottom lip.

"I-it's okay. Really! I saw you get bumped, it's fine! I-I should... get going."

"Okay. Again, I'm sorry." Sasuke left without picking up his food, and Naruto turned, and did the same. Both boys thinking the same thing.

'His lips were really warm.'

Hinata stood in a back alley with a beige cloaked figure. Pulling back the hood, Sakura grinned at her accomplice. "So?" She exclaimed. "What next?"

Naruto cautiously glanced from right to left, heading across the stream. It wasn't exactly watching for traffick, although, he flared his chakra to make sure other shinobi wouldn't catch sight of him while he was in the open, and mistake him for a trespasser. He was mostly worried about running into Sasuke. The genin hadn't seen each other for three days. Not since the incident in the market, and Naruto wasn't quite ready to see his teammate yet. Of course, that begs the question; what the hell was he doing crossing a stream three hundred feet outside of his village unsupervised. The answer, was simple: hunting. Sakura had seen him gazing sadly into his empty wallet (Gama-chan, if you're Naruto), and had told him that instead of wasting money on food, why not go hunt for himself?

Naruto was beginning to wonder if that had been sarcasm, but the pinkette had seemed genuine enough. He was set on getting a deer, so he hadn't asked Shikamaru to help, and that left him stupidly confident, and on his own in a darkening forest, completely determined to get some venison.

"Gah! Where are you, stupid deer?! I've been perfectly silent this whole time and I haven't even seen one of yo-" A snap in front of him cut him short, and blue eyes locked with a deep, calming brown. "Woah." He breathed, watching the deer stare at him. "You look like Shikamaru." A giggle startled the creature, which bolted to the left. Naruto raced after it, quite easily matching the frightened creature's speed. He was severely lacking in agility, but found keeping up with the animal alright from the trees. It wasn't too long before the deer stopped, looked around, and dipped its head. Naruto waited silently in the tree, watching his prey. Tan fingers slipped into a pouch at his hip, brandishing a kunai. Breathing deeply, he pulled back. A sudden flood of alien chakra filled his senses, and the blond whirled around, holding his kunai high. He was quite startled when his wrist was grabbed, and a hand clapped over his mouth.

"S'ske?" He hissed as best he could. The other boy glanced from Naruto, to the deer, and then back to Naruto, and back to the deer, and finally settled on his teammate.

"What the hell Dobe?"

Sasuke was intent on having a normal day. He would go for a walk, eat a healthy snack, review some scrolls, and ultimately not do anything that could tarnish his rusty, cracked, graffiti'd reputation. That wonderful plan fled right out the stupidly open window, when Sakura bounded up to him with a worried expression on her face.

"What?"

Sakura took a moment to breathe before opening her mouth to crush his day plans. "I think Naruto's in danger."

Oh fuck. 

"What did he do?"

"He said he was going hunting! He's heading outside of the village with no support! If he gets caught by enemy ninja, or gets too injured, or even runs into a dangerous animal! What's going to happen to him?"

"Nothing." Sasuke growled. "I'll go get the idiot."

Sakura nodded, watching him race off.

Hinata waited in the forest. Sakura was supposed to worry the last Uchiha, so he would be totally focused on one thing, and be slightly disoriented. Catching sight of her goal running towards her, the Hyuuga placed her hands in a seal.

"Genjutsu!" She hissed. One benefit of being on Kurenai-sensei's team was the kunoichi's extensive knowledge in genjutsu. Of course, Hinata was no match for the sharingan, but that was the point of getting Sasuke riled up. Hinata heaved a sigh as Sasuke veered to the right. He'd run a few circles before realizing something was wrong. Now to seek-out Naruto with her Byakugan. Good, he was about two hundred paces away. Hinata had no doubt Sasuke would try to follow his chakra.

Sasuke glanced around. He'd been running after the blond's chakra signal for hours now, and it was diminishing. Coming to a stop, the Uchiha looked down. Footprints. Shinobi footprints. Genin footprints. _His_ footprints.

"Fuck!" Forming a seal, Sasuke yelled, "Release!" The tell tale sound of a genjutsu breaking rang through the air. Sasuke could feel Naruto. He was too far out to run to. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke watched the sky for help. Then he heard it; the rustle of leaves. That sound made him think of a new jutsu he'd been practicing after copying Kakashi's use of it. Sasuke could successfully shunshin about seventy percent of the time. He just had to pray to any god that would listen that this would be one of them, because the jutsu was draining as all hell. With a burst of chakra, and a hand sign, Sasuke shut his eyes tightly. Watching his surroundings change was a bit like being shoved through the space between his destination, and location at breakneck speed, and often left him dizzy, nauseous, and with an ear-splitting headache. Closing his eyes averted that problem, and he let a relieved sigh slip through his lips when he felt the air around him shift. Success.

Opening his eyes, Sasuke frowned. Naruto was raising a kunai at a poor, unsuspecting deer. That wouldn't have been a problem, had the blond taken into account that deer are not like enemy ninja, and can't just be hit anywhere with a kunai. The way Naruto was aming, the poor animal would've been pierced in the shoulder, with the offending kunai. The deer would run, and it would be tight, and scared, and it wouldn't taste very good. Sasuke watched Naruto turn around, a yell building in his throat. Clapping a hand over the loud mouth, and snagging the wrist with the kunai to ensure his own safety, the raven sighed in relief, seeing that the deer hadn't budged from where it was grazing.

"S'ske?" The Uchiha glared.

"What the hell Dobe? Do you know what would've happened if you'd actually thrown that? That's unnecessary, and cruel. Aim for the fucking head."

Blue eyes blinked, then locked with obsidian. "You're not gonna lecture me about coming out here?"

"We'll talk about that later, otherwise you'll never kill this thing."

Naruto gasped quietly when Sasuke whirled him around. A hand curled around his wrist, aiming the kunai, and Sasuke stood almost flush with Naruto's back. The blond shivered, feeling hot breath ghost his neck, and instinctively tilted his head to bare it. His breath hitched as the raven's other hand steadied his waist, resting on an orange-clad hip.

"Okay."

 _Fuck._ Sasuke's voice had dipped into a low baritone, and it made the blond wonder if his legs would hold him much longer.

"Aim for a vital spot. You want to kill it in one blow." When blue eyes darted to their left, they were met with a focused sharingan. "Where do you want to hit it? Head, heart, or high shoulder? If you choose that last one, be sure to hit the scapula." Shit. Naruto was anything but a fanboy, but _damn_ if hunter Sasuke didn't turn him on a bit.

"Scapula?" 

A soft snort was received with an elbow to the other boy's ribs. "Ngh! Dobe!" Sasuke hissed. "Shoulder blades." Nimble fingers traced the back of tan, broad shoulders. "Right here."

Naruto shut his eyes tight, trying to ignore the undeniable rise in his body temperature.

*How ya doin kit?*

'Not now!'

*Oh I'm sorry, am I interrupting?*

'No! I just don't want to listen to you bitch and whine at me about my integrity, or rather, lack thereof'

*Mmmm, for once that's not why I'm here.*

'Oh?'

*No. I've come to save your virtue.*

'What the fuck does that even mean? And make it quick! Sasuke's literally breathing down my neck here!'

*Yes, that's the issue.*

'Eh?'

*I can't help but notice that the Uchiha brat is feeling us up.*

'Please don't ever refer to us as us.'

*Keh. My point is, his grabby hands are all over those shoulders you worked so hard to get, and the hand on your hip thing goes way past 'good friends' do.*

'What? You're insane!'

*I'm not. This is why I'm talking to you. He's trying to lead you on, and if you don't back out now he'll get the wrong impression. You need to make a decision, because if you're not 100% okay with this, he's overstepping his bounds.*

'...'

*Kit.*

'...' Naruto swallowed hard, feeling Sasuke once again trail his hand down to his hip. The fox was right. The Uchiha was asking for permission, getting bolder by the second. 'Fine.'

"So?"

"Huh?"

Sasuke whispered into Naruto's ear, and his hand drifted south, running over the blond's prized possession "Go for the kill."

The vessel nodded, subtly pushing back to fill the greedy hand. "I'll take the head."

"Hn." Naruto heard the smirk in the snarky reply. "Alright then."

It took a minute to realize that Sasuke had drawn back his wrist, aimed, and thrust it forwards, causing the kunai to slip from soft fingers in a swift arc to the grazing deer. Only when the soft 'thud' of the animal hitting the grass rang out did Naruto really grasp this.

"Oh shit." He breathed.

"What?"

"I just killed my own food, and not in the 'burned the ramen' way."

Sasuke swiped his tongue over his dry lips, eyeing the bared flesh in front of him. In a split-second decision, he gently reached up to swipe the ends of blond locks away, and lowered his lips to kiss the tan neck.

"Well done Dobe."

Naruto nodded, swelling with pride, and bashfulness. "Thanks Sasuke."

*As long as you know what you're signing up for.*

'I'm not sure I know what just happened! Since when does Sasuke like me at all! Let alone like... _that._ Since when do _I_ like _him_ at all, let alone like that?!'

*Tsk, So naïve.*

Roughly fifty paces away, two figures watched the boys, hands clapped over their mouths to suppress twin squeals. Further still, a single man narrowed his eyes at the four genin, recording the day's events with a famous eye that was not his own.

"Oh you guys. What the hell were you thinking?"

Tsunade huffed, pacing back and forth in front of four confused children.

"I cannot believe the nerve of you two." The Hokage scolded the kunoichi in the room.

"Lady Tsunade, if you would please just tell us what we did wrong, we cou-"

"What you did wrong?" The busty blonde stopped. "Where to start? For one, plotting against fellow comrades, for another, planned public humiliation, I don't even want to _think_ of the rules you two had to bend to get the things you did in place, and sneaking Naruto out of the village is _dangerous_ _!_ What if something really had happened out there?! What if Sasuke hadn't been able to find the brat, and no one knew he was missing?! Could you two live with the knowledge that your friend," She glanced at Hinata. "Your teammate," Sakura. "Is in a deadly situation because of _you?"_

Kakashi pushed off the wall.

"Tsunade-sama. That's plenty."

"I don't think it is!"

"What are you talking about?" All eyes turned to a bewildered Naruto, and a concerned Sasuke. "Plotting... Humiliation? I-I don't know what you think I did granny, but I'm telling you now, I didn't do it."

Tsunade sighed. "Not you Gaki. You and the Uchiha brat are the victims here."

Sasuke's mildly confused frown deepened. "How so?"

"Mh, you know, for someone with your intellect, you sure are lacking in some areas." Ignoring the dirty scowl shot at her, the blonde began to explain. "Think about it; what were the chances you two would run into each other that day in the market?"

Twin blushes blossomed on soft cheeks as the boys recalled their second kiss.

"H-how did-"

"Sasuke, did you see the face of the person who bumped you?"

"No."

"What were they wearing?"

"A cloak. Beige, it went down to their knees, and the rest of their legs were bare, so I assume they were female, or gay."

"Eh?" Naruto whirled around. "Why?!"

Sasuke shrugged. "Clearly shaved legs."

The shame burning on Sakura's face was more than enough, but the deal was sealed with a beige cloak in Kakashi's hand.

"Sakura." The jonin frowned. "I'm very disappointed in you."

The pinkette hung her head. "Gomen-nasai, sensei."

"Sakura, you were also the one to express your worry to Sasuke about Naruto's hunting, were you not?" Tsunade crossed her arms.

Already wide blue eyes grew even wider.

"Haaaaah?! But Sakura-chan was the one who told me to go!"

Obsidian eyes bored into the flinching girl. "What?!"

"And Hinata," Tsunade continued. "I believe you are responsible for a somewhat powerful genjutsu placed on our dear Sasuke?"

A glimmer fell swiftly to the floor as a tear fell from the girl's hidden face. Naruto looked as though he'd been smacked.

"H-Hinata-chan? She would never!"

The Hyuuga's trembling form spoke all the words that needed to be said.

"I-I... I-I..." When Hinata looked up, her hands were clasped, and tears rained from lavender skies. "N-Naruto-kun! Sasuke-kun! G-gomen-nasai!" She bowed, her small sobs echoing throughout the room, disrupted only by Sakura's sniffles.

"You two are dismissed. You will both be suspended from mission duty for a month and a half. Even then you will need to show me you have changed, and are ready to return. If you fail to convince me, you will wait another month. Am I clear?"

""Yes Tsunade-sama.""

"Good, scram."

Sasuke and Naruto stood awkwardly in the room, waiting until Tsunade plopped down at her desk and heaved a sigh.

"Well, there you go. Two of your closest friends totally stabbed you in the back."

Kakashi snorted, and excused himself, shunshining out. The boys shared a glance before Naruto slipped his hand gently into Sasuke's.

"I don't know granny... Maybe they just saw something we couldn't, and decided to shove us along."

Hazel eyes shifted from Uchiha, to Uzumaki. "Oh, no, that was totally obvious from the start, the girls are in trouble for putting you in danger. Personally, I would've locked you in a closet, and waited for the Uchiha to get horny. Tsk, no savin' ya then Gaki. We'd have to sedate him."

Dark eyes glittered with merth. Blue burned.

"That's a terrible idea! How could you even-!"

Naruto Froze, staring straight ahead. Sasuke also stiffened.

"Oh shit."

"Fuck, already?"

Before Tsunade could voice her confusion, both genin simply popped out in a burst of smoke. When the fuck did they-

A tap on the window cut off Tsunade's yell before it began. Turning to see a silver haired man, she opened the glass.

"What do you wa-"

Kakashi pointed to the side, where, when the Hokage leaned out, she could see-

"Oh my god."

On the strip of roofing out her window, two boys stood, one shoved up against the wall with his legs wrapped tightly around the other's waist. Said other, currently had his tongue down the poor blond's throat, though by the look of things, he didn't mind too much. A soft, 'Sasuke' made the Uchiha pull back, greedy eyes honing in on the beautiful blushing boy in his arms. Ignoring his primal instincts to continue ravishing his boyfriend, the raven cleared his throat.

"Yeah baby."

Blue eyes shut against the embarrassment. "They're watching us." He whispered.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Okay, give me a sec." The boy reconnected their lips, expertly preforming a hand seal.

The need of his hands required him to squish Naruto against the wall, and as he did so, the blond's head wrenched back with a raspy, "Fuck!" The slam into the wall must have hurt, but a smirk dawned on pale lips, and he moved closer, rotating his hips. The last thing Kakashi and his boss heard as the _children_ shunshined out, was Naruto's provocative groan, and Sasuke's hum of approval.

It was a moment before either spoke.

"Well..." Kakashi blinked. "They _do_ grow up fast."

"Mm."

"I'm gonna... Wash out my brain with bleach, and take a few cold showers."

"Mm."

"Are you gonna be alright?"

"Mm."

"Is Sasuke gonna be alright?"

Tsunade turned to walk away. "Not when I'm done with him." She threw over her shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed! The next chapter has been waiting for a while, so it won't be a request, but it's done, so I can just put it up right after this one.  
> Drop a kudos if you liked it, and comment! I'm so happy that y'all have finally started talking to me!  
> See you in the next chapter!


	14. Bonded Part 2: Family Edition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few snippets into what Sasuke and Naruto's life is like once kids come into play

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first two-shot! Let's go, we got this! There will be a LOT of timeskips in this. This will be part two to the a/b/o oneshot 'Bonded' requested by freakontour. I would, of course like to stick with the original request, so Sasuke will be soft boi with his family. 
> 
> On another note, I'd like to apologize for a scuffle in the comments. I've deleted all offensive comments, and spoken to my sister, who escalated the situation. For any of you who saw these comments, I'd like to apologize, and tell you that this should not discourage requests, I only ask that you are as specific as you can be, and please understand that I give nothing less than my all for every one of you, so a tiny bit of gratitude goes a long way.
> 
> I love ALL of you, regardless of the circumstance, because you keep this book alive. Please understand that each and every one of you means the world to me. Stay sweet cinnamon buns! All my love, enjoy!

Uzumaki Naruto was a happy ass omega. He had wonderful friends, and a well known college, and a strong, loyal Alpha to call his own. True, Sasuke was still a bit over protective, making a habit of scenting Naruto whenever the two parted ways, and keeping at least one arm around his omega when attending social gatherings. Yes, Naruto loved his Alpha, but he found himself very glad that Sasuke had class one particular Wednesday afternoon, as he stood in their new room, staring at the calendar. Sasuke had applied for a shared room as soon as he and Naruto started dating, and when he was told that, as they were not yet mated they didn't qualify, he had all but skinned alive the beta in charge, earning him and his omega a reluctant room. 

"Three." Naruto sighed shakily. "I've missed three heats now."

Naruto knew what he should've done after the second time, at the latest, but some part of him prayed that he was wrong, so he kept it to himself, and never checked it out. Now though... Now there was almost zero doubt in his mind that something was wrong, and the omega had little choice but to run down to the drug store and find the answers to his problem.

A light blush dusted his cheeks as the Alpha cashier's eyes lit up at the three different pregnancy tests. 

"Congratulations." The boy grinned, obviously trying not to look too excited.

"Yeah, well... We'll see."

Realizing the blond omega was somewhat in distress, the Alpha frowned. "You hope you're wrong." At Naruto's shrug, the boy shook his head, pushing the tests towards the blond. "Take them. It's hardly ever we get an omega with your problem, and it would be wrong to make you pay." Blue eyes shone with question, but were answered with a smile. "It's the least I can do."

Naruto stumbled into his dorm, locking the bathroom door, and unboxing the first of the tests. It was in the god's hands now.

Sasuke sniffed around his dorm as he entered, and checked his messages, seeing if anything had followed the abrupt 'come home' from his boyfriend.

"Naruto?" He called, once again sniffing for a reason for the distress he felt. No answer. Poking his head in the bedroom, (the mated rooms were more like small apartments than dorms) Sasuke found his omega sitting on the edge of the bed, tears streaming down his face. A black bag fell from numb fingers as the Alpha raced forwards, pulling his love into his arms, and holding him tight. Omegas are social, extremely so, and Naruto especially was fond of human contact. This was the best thing Sasuke could offer him.

"What's wrong?" The raven tried his best not to freak out. He'd seen his omega cry before, but it made his blood boil just the same every time. He lifted pale fingers to wipe away the tears on tan cheeks. "Hey. I'm here, okay? Tell me why you're crying."

Blue eyes focused, and Naruto stared at his boyfriend for a few, disoriented seconds before a sob racked his body, and he clasped shaking arms around the Uchiha.

"I'm sorry!" Before Sasuke could respond, Naruto had buried his face in a strong shoulder, and started talking again. "I'm so sorry!" He cried again, "I'm scared Sasuke, so scared, and I don't even know, but I thought about it, and I think you should be here, and if it is, and you don't want it, I'm sorry, because I just can't get rid of it, and I understand if you don't want me anymore!"

Sasuke blinked, pulled Naruto away from his chest, and raised an eyebrow. "Baby," He started out slowly. "I love you, but you're going to have to slow down. First, why did this start? You don't need to explain yourself, and I'm not going to tell you it's all going to be fine, because this sounds important to you. Please know that I love you, and we are going to make it through this though."

At Naruto's shaky breath and nod, Sasuke offered a light smile. "Okay." Naruto fought against the tears welling up in his eyes, but they slipped down his face anyways. Sasuke took up the second line of defense and wiped them away gently. "I-I..." The omega bit his lip hard to suppress a sob. "Sasuke I've missed three heats." Apprehension flooded the atmosphere around the two as Naruto fought to keep his breathing under control and Sasuke wrapped his head around what this might mean. When it hit him, a gasp tore from his mouth, and he released Naruto to clap a hand over his lips. Wide obsidian eyes searched pleading blue, and the Alpha sat there gaping for forty five seconds before realizing letting go of his terrified, maybe pregnant omega like he was burned, was probably not the best thing to do. Instantly, Sasuke reached out to grab his boyfriend, and stood up, holding him bridal-style, and kissing him.

"Really?"

"Well, I don't know, I-I was-Mph! To scared to check th-Mph! The results! Sasuke! Stop it! You-I mean, you really aren't mad?"

Sasuke frowned. "Mad? Why would I be mad?"

"Because you haven't committed to me yet, and now... You're kind of... Stuck with me."

The Alpha blinked. "I haven't- Naruto, I committed to you in high school. I never... I mean, well..." Sasuke floundered. Talking about biting someone was like talking about someone's sex life, only a lot more intimate. It was way more than marriage. It was giving your life, and soul, and body to someone... forever. "I never mated you because you never gave the okay."

Naruto stared. "You... really?"

"That seems to be the word of the day."

The omega snorted, smacking his boyfriend. "This is serious, don't make jokes!"

"Wait, Naruto." Sasuke put the blond down. "You said you didn't know."

"Ah, yeah. I haven't checked yet. I was too scared that if it was positive... You wouldn't want me anymore. Plus, you deserve to be there."

The Uchiha nodded quietly, pressing his lips to his omega's, and basking in the flustered pheromones the blond released. Neither said anything about the way the Alpha's hand rested gently on the shirt over a tan stomach. "Does it make you feel better knowing that I love you, no matter what that test says?"

A chute blush dusted the blond's face, and he smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, it really does."

"Okay. Where are they?"

"Bathroom."

Grabbing Naruto's hand, Sasuke led him forwards. "Okay. If it's negative, that's okay. If it's positive, I hope these walls are sound proof."

Naruto blinked, but opened the door. "I got three, all different brands."

"I've got such a smart omega."

"Don't patronize me."

Sasuke swallowed as he picked up the first test. His eyes slid closed, and a shaky sigh slipped out. "Positive." Naruto bit his lip, watching Sasuke check the other one. "Positive." His tone wavered, but his face was steeled as he glanced at the last one, and whirled around, snatching Naruto up and sitting him on the counter, tears in his eyes as he held his love tight and yelled louder than Naruto had ever heard him.

"We're having a baby!"

Blue eyes blinked. "Positive?"

"All three! Oh, I love you! You did so well Naruto! Do you think it'll be an Alpha? I really don't care, it's going to be so beautiful! My god, I'm so lucky, I'm going to be a father!" Sasuke panted. "Is that cheesy?"

"I... Wow. You took that... well."

"I'm sorry, I know it's out of character, but..." Dark eyes left nothing to the imagination, and the purest joy Naruto had ever seen shimmered in them. "You are my most precious person, Naruto, and you are giving me a child. It's a hell of a lot to think about, but... I'd like to mark you. Tonight. I'll take you out to dinner, and we can have whatever you like, and then I'll show you how proud I am of you, and then I'd like to bite you. It's fine if you want to wait, but I'm never walking out on you, or this baby, and... I feel the need to prove it. I walked out on my family. I'm asking you to fill that position now."

Naruto clasped a hand over his stomach, heart swelling with pride. "We're gonna be a family." He breathed, eyes still wide with disbelief. Sasuke cupped his cheeks, and looked him in the eyes, his face strong, and confident once more, still glowing with pride.

"You are going to be the best mama in the world.

\-------

Naruto sighed as he stared out the car window. Sasuke drove beside him, their hands connected firmly as they made their way to the hospital. One tan hand rubbed a baby bump on his 7 month along stomach.

"You excited?" The blond asked his mate.

Sasuke glanced at his omega and blinked. "Of course. Don't worry, Tsunade will take care of you. Sakura works for her sometimes."

Naruto nodded. The two of them had recently established their friend group, consisting of nine first years, and three second years. Sakura was one of their closest friends after she heard her ex-roommate was having a baby. She and Naruto began to hang out, and they'd quickly become somewhat of a trio.

"What do you think it'll look like?"

"I don't know baby."

Neither spoke again until they pulled up to the hospital, Sasuke locking his camaro, and helping his blond up. 

"Shit, this is huge."

"Good, they'll be well-equipped."

When Tsunade grabbed them from the waiting room, Naruto's heart was pounding. He was getting an ultrasound today. Sasuke was all but ecstatic, and Naruto was terrified.

"Alright Naruto, how's it going?"

The Omega sucked in a breath as the cold gel hit his skin, but answered the Alpha quickly. "We've had no difficulties. I was worried at first, when I wasn't getting sick, but Sakura said that not everyone gets morning sickness, so..."

Tsunade nodded. "It depends on the person. Ready to take a look?"

Sasuke swallowed, watching the screen. Naruto had gotten an ultrasound before, but the baby had been very small then, and Sasuke hadn't been able to attend. The Alpha let out a breath when the screen lit up, depicting a blue, quivering form. You could definitely tell it was a baby. Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but then felt the tightening of his mates hand, and looked up. The omega had to suppress a gasp. Sasuke's mouth was slightly ajar, and tears shone brightly in his eyes. Never once, until Tsunade was finished, did the raven look away.

"If you want, I can tell you the genders of your baby now."

That got both their attention. 

"I... I would like to know." Naruto bit his lip, hoping Sasuke would agree.

"I would too."

Tsunade nodded. "I'll be right back."

When the doctor came back, a dark haired lady was with her, carrying some charts.

"Okay Tsunade, I've got it. You don't have to tell me again!"

"What is it?" Sasuke asked. "Does it concern my baby?"

Tsunade snorted. "No, it concerns my omega wanting to see your reactions." There was a quick moment of silence before the blonde spoke again. "Your baby is a boy." Sasuke went ridgid. "A healthy, male, Alpha."

The Uchiha wasn't sure what to say, so he stated the obvious.

"A boy. An Alpha. I... I'm getting a son? An Alpha son, Naruto are you hearing this?" Blue eyes watered, and Naruto laughed at Sasuke's disbelief, and sighed.

"Menma it is." This was the boy name they had chosen.

\-------

Sakura, Kiba, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Sasuke sat around a table in a diner. Sakura had cooed at Naruto's belly for a while until Sasuke flared a warning scent. The pinkette had backed off, understanding Sasuke's territorial instincts.

"So, Naruto." Kiba eagerly started the conversation. "What are you gonna do for school once little Menma here joins our group?"

The blond tipped his head back in thought, snuggling back as his mate wrapped two strong arms around him, not so subtly scenting him. "I think I'm sticking with my child studies classes, but I'd like to spend a lot of time at home with baby." He tapped his stomach, rolling his eyes as Sasuke also slid his hands along the bump.

Kiba nodded. "What about you Sasuke?"

"I'm still working, and taking my law society and justice, and my commerce classes. I need my JD this year, not that it's any of your business."

"Troublesome," the third Alpha at the table sighed. "Child studies and law are rough classes, and Sakura, you're in medical, yeah?" At her nod of affirmation, Shikamaru groaned. "That's one hell of a headache career. You should have gone psyche."

Kiba snorted. "I say it's a damn good thing Naruto's in child studies, and Sasuke's got too much on his plate any class he takes. Plus, you're the only person who thinks psychology is easy. I for one, am sticking with my animal physio, bio and whatnot."

A frown creased Naruto's brow as he felt something. He wondered for a second if it could be... Oh god. He'd been feeling little flutters in his belly for the last few weeks, and when he'd tod Sasuke he'd been hoping to feel them too, but had been disappointed. This though... This was a full on kick, and it was pretty unmistakable. Fingers contracting around his mates hand, Naruto tried to get Sasuke's attention subtly. Unfortunately, with three Alpha in close proximity, his pheromones were easily detected, and the conversation stopped abruptly. Sasuke was the first to speak.

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

Sakura next. "Naruto does anything hurt?"

He shook his head dumbly, wide blue eyes locking on concerned obsidian orbs. "I think... Sasuke I think I just felt him kick." Sakura bowed over the table with relief, a smile on her face. Sasuke stared back at his mate, blinking in disbelief.

"Are you sure?"

Naruto deadpanned, "Pretty damn sure."

A pair of hands were on his belly instantly, and the two were up in a second. Sasuke snarled at the two Alpha so close to his omega, and they both bowed in respect before scooching away as Sasuke led Naruto to their car outside.

The Uchiha's hand lay on his mates stomach the entire drive home, and once at their dorm, the two lay in bed, Naruto happy to be off his feet, and his Alpha more than content to sit there with his hand over their baby. Naruto smiled as he felt the second kick and heard Sasuke gasp.

"Hey baby." He murmured, letting out a shaky breath at the half hearted kick in response.

"He likes the sound of your voice Sasuke. Keep talking to him."

The raven blinked. "What do you want me to say?"

Naruto snorted, shrugging. "I don't know, introduce yourself. Tell him about us, and the others."

There was a moment of silence, and Naruto closed his eyes, resting before he heard a soft, deep rumble.

"Okay... Hi baby." Sasuke repeated. "Uh, I'm your daddy." Naruto smiled at Sasuke's childish wording. "I can't wait to meet you. You've been so good for your mama, and I know you're gonna grow up big and strong to protect him." A kick took the Uchiha by surprise, and he gasped, delighted to feel his son responding to him. "Mama's going to spend a lot more time with you than I can, but I love you so much already, you know, so don't you forget it. There's some people you're going to meet when you arrive, and I want you more or less prepared, so I'll warn you now. There are some second years that are a bit corky, but they just take some getting used to. Tenten's a beta, and so is Lee. He's _really_ corky. We could do without him, daddy thinks, but mama has such a big heart and won't see anyone left out. Neji's an Alpha, like daddy, so if we fight sometimes, I'm sorry. He's cold, but knows a lot, and is pretty excited to meet you too. Now, the Alpha in the first year group are your daddy, auntie Sakura, and Shikamaru. He's lazy, so we'll ask him to babysit you sometimes out of spite. Sakura's going to be great with you. The Beta, Shino, Choji, and Kiba are a bit of a mix matched group, but you'll get to know them, and form your own opinions. I expect you to be very kind to the omega, because they need you. They deserve our utmost respect, got it Menma? Mama's the most beautiful omega in the world, and he's seen enough pain for many lifetimes. That's why you need to protect him when you grow up. Ino and Hinata are also omega. I imagine you'll spend a lot of time with them as a child." Sasuke's eyes flickered from the round tummy to the sleeping face of his mate. "Okay." He whispered. "Mama's sleeping now, so I'm going to let you sleep too. Please stay healthy baby. Daddy loves you."

\-------

Sweat plastered blond hair to tan skin as Naruto sagged with relief. Sasuke stood on the other side of the door, white as a sheet after nearly half an hour of screaming from his mate. Sakura released a breath, laughing, and wiping her forehead as she reentered, and a shrill cry filled the room.

"Well done Naruto!" She panted. "Well done! He's crying! He's healthy! I've just cleaned him. He weighs seven pounds even. Do you want to hold him?"

Blue eyes exploded with tears as the squirming blue bundle was placed in his arms. Fighting to keep his voice steady, he poked a finger at the pink, smooth cheeks. "H-hi beautiful boy." He sniffed. "You did so well. Mama's s-so proud of you!" The cries died down as Naruto played with the tuft of black hair, and at that moment, Sasuke burst in with Tsunade at his side. "Sasuke! Look! Look how beautiful he is! He looks just like you!"

Sasuke's hands trembled as Naruto held out their pup. A tiny little nose under scrunched up eyes brought tears cascading down, and Tsunade, Shizune, and Sakura quietly left. Sasuke gasped as his son opened his eyes to blink at him. "Oh baby, look. His eyes are just like yours." It was true; under a full head of black hair, bright, blue orbs shone wonderfully clear, all too much emotion in the capri oceans of glass. Sasuke kissed his omega, scenting him, and his baby for good measure. "I'm glad you are safe. I'm so fucking proud of you."

"Sasuke!" Naruto weakly scolded. "Language!"

The Alpha chuckled, bouncing his baby gently in his little blue onesie.

\-------

Kiba burst into the dorm less than ten minutes after Sasuke an Naruto had arrived.

"Lemme see him!" If Kiba was an Alpha, he'd be dead meat, but Naruto chuckled at the Beta's antics, and Sasuke merely rolled his eyes. Shikamaru lounged lazily on the door behind him. Though clear curiosity sparked in brown eyes, the Alpha was acknowledging Sasuke's authority in said raven's den, and would not approach the other man's newborn pup without unmistakeable permission. Kiba was not as thoughtful. Racing up to Naruto, the brunet gasped. "He's so tiny! Hah, he looks just like his sire, that's uncanny!"

Naruto handed his pup over, and laughed heartily. "Wait 'till he opens his eyes."

For once, there was no response. Three pairs of eyes turned to Kiba, who was staring wide-eyed at the baby blinking back at him. Shikamaru just about had a heart-attack when his mate began softly speaking to the baby. "Well hey there. Aren't you just... beautiful."

Sasuke snorted, approaching the Beta. "He's my son, not my daughter, though I'll admit, his eyes are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Naruto flushed bright red. The Alpha gently took his baby from Kiba, and to the shock of everyone in the room, began walking towards Shikamaru. The Alpha shifted so he was standing upright, accepting the gesture for what it was. Sasuke's ultimate trust. With the Uchiha being the last to give it, the four of them could be... a pack now. A family among families. Naruto's jaw dropped alongside Kiba's. Sasuke gave Menma to the brunet, who carefully held him like he was the most breakable thing in the world.

"Sasuke?" Blue eyes clashed with black, and for a fraction of a second, Alpha and omega nuzzled, no emotions hidden. Naruto smiled like the sun, and raised his left wrist. Sasuke took it, his Alpha teeth throbbing with desire to slide out and _bite!_ So he let them. Sharp pearly whites slid into tan skin, and Naruto's omega keened with the overflowing affection. Turning to Kiba, Sasuke held out his hand, shoving his nervousness into the deepest pits of his soul. The Beta looked briefly to Shikamaru, wondering if he'd be upset, but his Alpha made no indication either way. It was clear how he felt. This was Kiba's choice. The brunet heaved a sigh, shrugging and giving his left wrist to Sasuke. The Uchiha nearly breathed a sigh of relief when yet again his fangs begged to be released. Forcing them out was painful, and meant that the person you're biting isn't a good choice. With a gentle precision, the raven bit down, ignoring Kiba's gasp. The Beta had expected it to hurt! As Alpha fangs slid into the light mocha skin, he couldn't help but remember the day Shikamaru bit him, but this was... Less intimate. In a few seconds, Sasuke was in front of shikamaru, who shifted his grasp on Menma, and handed his wrist to his pack-mate. Once again, the itch to bite took over, and so he did.

Wiping the blood off his mouth, Sasuke allowed Naruto to approach him, his own bite already healing from Sasuke's saliva. The raven held out his left wrist, and Naruto's omega did a sort of variation of the Alpha teeth. Omega, of course had fangs too, as Sasuke's neck could prove. Beta too, though each set was a little different. Where Alpha fangs were like regular fangs, about 1/2 an inch wide, and 2 centimeters long, sliding out from a slit in the gums above the canines (*Cough* supernatural's vampires *cough cough* but thicker *cough*), Beta simply extended their canines to a centimeter past their other teeth, and omega's were more like a needle. The teeth were a little bit thinner and smaller than Alpha's but they release pure pheromones once buried in someone that race through the blood stream in seconds, calming the recipient significantly. Sasuke tipped back his head, eyes closed as he felt that warmth race through his blood. It was a frighteningly close experience to shooting up, only... less lethal. Naruto went around the group, biting each wrist just above his mate's mark. When that was done, it was Kiba's turn, and finally, Shikamaru.

"Wow." Naruto and Kiba locked gazes. "..."

It was about two seconds of silence before the freakout hit.

"Oh my god dude, this is totally awesome!"

"I know right? We're basically brothers now, believe it!"

"Oh, I believe it alright! How long have we wanted this?"

"Uh, like a bunch o' years."

"Since fuckin' middle school for sure man!"

Sasuke and Shikamaru stuck on the other side of the room with Menma.

A knock on the door quieted the room.

"They're here!" Naruto bounded up to the door, flinging it open, and hugging whoever was on the other side. They had invited everyone to come officially meet Menma, and while it was a bit crowded, having the squad over was nice.

Ino, Hinata, Sakura, Lee, and Tenten made a beeline for the baby, cooing over his hair, eyes, skin, toes, fingers. Sasuke felt a little bad for the tiny Alpha, and found himself glad his son was clothed, so their cooing over his tininess was limited.

Neji, Shino, and Choji went for Naruto, happily conversing whilst waiting for their turn.

Picking up his son, Sasuke walked over to his mate, drawing him into a deep kiss, right in the middle of his sentence. Naruto leaned forwards as Sasuke pulled back, and blinked a few times before speaking.

"Well hello to you too."

The Alpha snorted, handing his son to his love. The now wide-awake baby gurgled, staring at Neji with a ferocity that it made the Alpha laugh, to the shock and horror of people in the vicinity.

"My," The Hyuuga chuckled. "Well aren't you just the spitting image of your sire?"

Menma blinked, turning to stare at Shino. The two stared for about four whole seconds before the child burst out in wails, tiny fists clutching his Mama's shirt as huge, crocodile tears races down plump cheeks. Naruto laughed, casting an apologetic glance at Shino, who waved dismissively.

"I'm gonna go feed him, m'kay?" The blond murmured to his mate.

"Okay baby, go ahead."

Kiba lit up, and darted to Naruto before his mate could stop him. The lazy Alpha settled for a face palm.

"Can I help?" The brunet piped.

Naruto raised a golden brow, sending a pointed look at Kiba's chest. "I don't know, can you?"

The Beta flushed bright red as the room descended into giggles and Naruto brought his crying baby into the next room.

\-------

"Mama!" A dark haired toddler with brilliant blue eyes yelled. The cafeteria was used to the boy, but some were more happy about it than others. At least the Alpha didn't cry randomly anymore. Slender arms lifted the two year old up to eye level, blue clashing with blue. The child cried out in delight, shrieking with giggles as the omega bounced him in the air. 

"Mama's getting lunch." Ino explained. "He'll be back soon." 

She put the toddler down and ruffled his spiky black hair, sticking out at all angles just like Naruto's. A serious expression crossed menma's face, and he nodded solemnly.

"Mama eat. Get stong. Mema potec."

Ino giggled, nodding enthusiastically. "That's right!" She clapped. "Mama will get stronger when he eats, and you're doing such a good job of protecting him, just like Daddy."

"Menma!" A voice called, causing the child to whip his head around.

"Oh! Speak of the devil."

Menma shoved himself off the table bench, falling hard, but pushing himself up, and running to the doorway. "Daddy!" He cried, fighting back tears. No one really knew why Menma cried every time he saw Sasuke, but no one could deny it was adorable either. It was like the Alpha thought his sire was going to abandon him every time he left. Dark eyes widened as the toddler launched himself into the air about five feet from Sasuke, who swooped in quickly to save his son from a nasty fall.

"Menma! Be careful, you could've gotten hurt!"

Blue eyes welled up with tears, and Sasuke almost had to look away. "Mema s-sowwy. Mema potec Mama, a-an Daddy potec Mema, but Mema no s'ppos'a be potect!" He wailed.

Swallowing, Sasuke looked around, cursing silently at the knowing looks around him. Sighing, and giving in to his classmates wishes, he placed his son on a table, and sat on the bench, closing his eyes, and letting his Alpha curl in on the smaller wolf, protecting it. Menma sniffed, but didn't move, feeling warm, and safe. "Daddy loves you Menma, and will always protect you. You have every right to need to be protected."

"Daddy... Potec Mema?"

Sasuke nodded, brushing plump, wet cheeks. "Always. Now, where's that Mommy of yours? Daddy has some business to take care of."

The serious expression was back, along with the solemn nod. "Mema no go in Mommy Daddy room when Daddy an Mommy has business."

Sasuke flushed as the cafeteria erupted in laughter, and he quickly waved his hands. "No! Not That kind of business! This is for Menma! Not Daddy!"

Again, Menma nodded. "Mema snuggle time after Mama Daddy business."

Sasuke restrained from duct taping his son's mouth shut, but did allow his head to fall onto the Alpha's lap as the school had a field day with his child's lack of shame. A voice called out, "Hey! Uchiha! At least you taught him to stay out! That's a feat in and of itself!"

The two year old turned to the voice. "Mama hit Mema wif piwow when Mema come in while business."

A loud snort brought attention to an omega standing with a food tray, mirth in his eyes. "That's right, and what did Menma learn?"

"That Mommy an Daddy wuv eachuver vewy much, an Mema too, but Daddy can do fings to Mommy dat mean a difint type o' wuv, so Mema can't."

Naruto nodded, setting his tray down, and kissing his son on the head. "Such a smart boy."

Sasuke looked up, the caf returning to the buzz it was earlier. "Your son is going to be the death of me."

"Hmmm. Any last wishes?"

"Bury me next to my reputation."

Naruto snorted, kissing his mate soft and deep. Both froze when a tiny pair of lips touched right in the middle of their own, and they pulled apart to see their toddler smiling innocently, grabbing his ankles, and rocking back and forth. "Mema too!" He grinned.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, leaning down to peck his pup on the lips, and scent him. Naruto did the same.

\-------

"Sasuke!" Naruto raced out of the bathroom of their new house, waving something in the air. Seeing no sign of his mate, the blond raced into his three year old's room, and asked hurriedly, "Menma! Do you know where Daddy is?"

The boy blinked, looking up from his truck where he'd put his favourite barbie and was currently lifting the back to dump her off the edge of his desk. "Uh, Daddy's in da kitten." He replied.

Naruto raced downstairs, and into the kitchen, still waving the object excitedly. "Sasuke!" He yelled, catching sight of his mate. "Sasuke you're not gonna believe this! I think maybe the condom broke last time, cause I missed my heat, so I checked, and I was right! He panted, still looking at his Alpha. "I'm pregnant!"

Silence. Sasuke stood staring at him, eyes wide, mouth slightly ajar. An unfamiliar voice caught Naruto off guard, and he turned to the fridge where a man stood. "Well now." Naruto burned as he realized what he'd just said, and cursed himself when he caught sight of two other people. "Isn't this a surprise?"

Sasuke snapped out of it, and shot a glare at the smirking man. "Shut up Itachi." Walking up to Naruto, Sasuke kissed him, closing his eyes for a moment. "That's... amazing baby." He swallowed, eyes still wide with disbelief. "Wow."

Naruto giggled, happy that Sasuke wasn't upset, and glanced around. "Uh... Mind introducing me?"

The Alpha sighed, rolling his eyes. The Man who hadn't spoken yet did so now, his voice deep, and stern, and coloured with distaste. "Uchihas do not roll their eyes, Sasuke. Nor do they sigh, or sag. Stand up straight boy."

The remaining person in the room, a female, omega from the smell of it 'tsk'ed. "Fugaku. Enough. You haven't seen Sasuke in years, the least you could do is show some respect." Before the obvious retort was out, the raven haired woman smiled sweetly, taking Naruto's hand. "It's nice to meet you dear. I must say, it's quite rare to find a male omega nowadays. My name is Mikoto Uchiha, and I'm happy to see my son so settled down."

Naruto blinked. "Your... son?" A split second passed before Naruto yanked his hand back, to the shock of all but one person in the room, all but Sasuke expecting Naruto to be quiet, obedient, and respectful. "You're his parents?" Naruto gawked. "Do you have any idea what Sasuke went through because of you?!"

Itachi stepped forwards. "Hey now, he tried to force a reject, what the hell do you do when that happens?"

The blond gaped. "Well you sure as hell don't throw him out on his ass! He tried to kill himself because he hated the way other people looked at him, so you disowned him!"

"What?!" It was Mikoto's turn to step forwards. "Sasuke, is that what you think of us?" Tears shimmered in her eyes, and even Fugaku looked ashamed.

Sasuke growled, low in his throat. "Father, would you like to fill in your dear wife and son, or shall I?" No response. "Fine." Sasuke spat. "Mother, Itachi. One week after I was out of the hospital, Father took it upon himself to tell me how ashamed he was of me. When I told him that as my father, he should be happier that I wasn't dead. Do you know what he said to me? He looked me straight in the eyes, and told me, what _dad_?" 

Fugaku swallowed, watching his son with deep, black eyes. "Any son of mine who thinks Alpha are less than perfection, is no son of mine at all."

Mikoto gasped, and Naruto burned with rage, the flash in his pheromones causing Sasuke's nose to smart, and his eyes to water. 'Like inhaling smoke' he thought.

Blue eyes smoldered with defiance, and anger, disappointment, and concern, and the most prominent, disgust. "Your _son_ was in pain." He spat. "He needed you." Fugaku choked on the pheromones, and struggled to hold his composure. "What the hell made you think-"

"Naruto." Strong arms cinched the omega to his mate, Sasuke burying his face in the tan neck, placing a gentle kiss on the skin. "Enough. Thank you, but enough."

A few seconds went by as the two stood in the middle of the room, Sasuke's arms holding Naruto close to his chest, forehead resting in between the defined shoulder blades. Naruto's fists clenched, and his head was bowed, bangs concealing his capri eyes.

A scream broke the tension in the room, and both Sasuke and Naruto whirled to the staircase, where Menma lay at the bottom, holding his nose, and wailing as blood trickled from it, smearing all over his hands and face.

""Menma!"" Was the immediate response, both parents racing to meet their child halfway, as he wobbled towards them, blood all over his face and hands, arms outstretched, pink tears falling to the ground as salty water mixed with crimson blood. Naruto reached him first, scooping up the crying boy, and trying to calm him.

"Sasuke-!"

"Tissues, already on it!" Sasuke called from the windowsill. Hurrying back, the Alpha used a few tissues to clean his son's hands and face, before holding one firm over the little nose, and telling Menma to look down.

"No up!" Menma insisted.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I don't know why the television always says up. The blood would slip into your lungs and choke you, watashi no kishi." Menma glowed. Sasuke always called the little Alpha his knight when he needed the boy to be brave. It was sweet, and something Naruto enjoyed watching. A voice broke the sweet moment between sire and pup.

"Who's this Otouto?"

Menma swallowed his pain, and glanced up at the huge Alpha, trying not to whimper. Naruto stood, about to step in front of his son, but the child -a little blood still dripping from his nose- ran quickly in between his mother and this man, arms outstretched, patented Uchiha glare enough to stop Itachi in his tracks. 

"Mema potec Mama!" The Alpha declared, keeping his brave face. "Daddy an Mema onwy Awpha awowed neaw Mommy!"

Itachi knelt down, hand held out, small smile on his face. "You are very brave. Your Mama is lucky to have such a strong protector. I'm your Daddy's brother, and I'd like to meet your Mommy. May I?"

Menma wavered, glancing up at his parents. Sasuke was practically glowing with pride, and Naruto was actually crying! Shocked, Menma swiveled around, arms held up, and full pout displayed. Naruto picked him up, and the child immediately began wiping his tears.

"Mommy no cwy, okie?" Menma looked very focused as he cleared his expression to the best of his ability, and lowered his voice comically, locking eyes with the blond. "Don' cwy baby, we'w be fine."

Naruto snorted, looking at Sasuke with an exasperated grin on his face. "This child is too much like you for his own good." He felt a tiny finger poke his cheek. "He already eats tomatoes like they're candy, if he starts saying 'hn' every time I ask him a question, I may start doubting he's mine at all."

Sasuke and Menma stared at their omega with the same quizzical look on their faces. When Naruto questioned the purpose of their face, there was a split second of silence, and then...

""Tomatoes _are_ candy.""

Mikoto watched how easily the family conversed, and smiled. Oh how she wished she and her husband could have given their boys this environment. Fugaku swallowed audibly, drawing attention to himself. "Sasuke." He pleaded, something he never could've imagined himself doing in a thousand lifetimes. "Forgive me. I was angry, and afraid, and that is no excuse, I know, but it spurred on my impulsive words, and I hope to make them right."

Sasuke stared at his father, appearing neither shocked, or happy, nor angry. Menma wiggled in his mother's arms, wiping the last of the blood off his face with his sleeve. Naruto put his son down carefully, and all eyes silently watched the young boy toddle his way slowly around Itachi, and past Mikoto, stopping in front of Fugaku. The two stared at each other for a bit, electric blue boring into obsidian, before Menma pouted, and reached up, signaling that he wanted to be picked up. Fugaku's eyes widened minutely, and glanced to both of the Alpha's parents, who seemed equally surprised. Carefully, he picked up the boy, who gave him a once-over.

"You wuv Daddy." He raised an eyebrow.

"I do." Fugaku glanced at his son, who was still eyeing his own suspiciously.

"You can't have him."

"I don't want to take him from you. I don't love him like you, or your mother do." Once again, the Uchiha glanced to his youngest. "I love Daddy like Daddy loves you."

Sasuke's head shot up to stare. Menma squiggled to turn around in the man's grip, looking questionably at his father. The raven swallowed, giving a nod, and Menma cheered. "Yay! Kiss an be fwiend again!"

Everyone looked at the boy, who shrunk back. "Wha'?"

Sasuke chuckled shaking his head, and walking over to hold his son. Menma pouted until Sasuke leaned down, pecking his baby boy on the lips. "Daddy's older now, so only Mommy and Menma get my kisses."

An all too familiar serious expression crossed a small, plump face, and Sasuke groaned, bowing his head in pre-disaster shame.

"Dat's wight. When Daddy an Mommy kiss, Mema get too. Bu' when Daddy kiss ovew pawt o' Mommy, Mema go woom."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "Teaching him a bit young, aren't we?"

Sasuke groaned again. "It's not my fault he's all the wrong places at all the wrong times."

Naruto huffed. "Yes, because you were oh so sneaky in the living room yesterday."

"Hey! He was in his room!"

"The poor thing just wanted his robot!"

"Well, it was bad timing!"

"No, it was bad placement."

Mikoto cleared her throat, a light blush on her cheeks. "Every omega knows the struggle of trying to keep their Alpha at bay around their children, but could we perhaps not talk about it in front of the child?"

\-------

Naruto groaned, rolling over, and trying to gather the will power to get up. It was still dark, and he knew he had to get out of bed, if he didn't want-

"What's wrong baby?"

Naruto jerked. "Shit! I thought you were asleep!"

"I was asleep." A hand ghosted over Naruto's baby bump, visible now at five months. "You smell upset."

"You know? That's a little creepy."

"What's wrong?"

"I have to pee, Mr. incredible, I just don't wanna get up."

"Nh."

"..."

The sheets shifted, and Naruto frowned.

"Come on."

}The blond cautiously got out of bed, heading to the bathroom. "What? What's with-" The scent of anticipation filtered through the room, and Naruto stopped. "What did you do?"

"Nothing, yet."

"Oddly enough, that doesn't make me feel much better."

"Relax." Strong hands slid up Naruto's sides, and then back down, resting on clothed hips. "I'll make the trip worth your while."

The skepticism in Naruto's answer was dulled with the raspy cloak of arousal as teeth scraped along his neck, the warmth from Sasuke's chest reaching the blond's back. "How so?"

"Well..." Sasuke breathed in his mate's ear. "Let's go to the bathroom, and see how many surfaces we can defile before the little one gets up."

"Defile?"

"Hn." Sasuke wasn't really paying attention; scenting his mate, drawing his nose across the scarred scent gland over, and over again, trying to ignore the throbbing in his gums. "Tell you what."

Naruto swallowed hard, his heart hammering in his chest as his Alpha slowly placed butterfly kisses up his neck, licking his jaw, and smirking against the back of his ear. "Yeah?" Naruto prompted.

Sasuke kissed his way back down, fully aware of how badly Naruto wanted him to bruise the skin, sucking on the pulse, or anywhere else. Feeling the strong arms by his omega's side, Sasuke breathed in deeply against his mate's naked shoulder. Reaching up, Sasuke placed a hand over their baby, letting it linger for a moment.

"Let's play a game."

The mood was broken by a predictable snort. "Okay Jigsaw, let me get my bones ready for snapping."

"That's not funny."

"Fuck you, that was hilarious." Naruto pulled away, marching to the bathroom. "And I seriously have to pee."

Walking out of the bathroom proved unsuccessful as the omega was slammed into the wall, back first, and a feral growl sounded next to his ear.

**"Put your hands in my hair and keep them there."**

_fuck_ Alpha voice. Naruto's omega keened with want, and the blond found himself physically unable to disobey; every part of him screaming to please his mate. The best he could do to voice how he felt as tan hands fisted in raven locks was a husky, 

"Yes Alpha"

Sasuke muttered a curse as fangs slid out hungrily, glinting in the dim light from the window.

Naruto may not be able to move tomorrow.

\-------

Tsunade 'hmm'ed disapprovingly.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, rubbing his belly.

"Your baby is due in three weeks, and he's still breach." She huffed. "I want you to do a few things for me Naruto." The blonde looked up at Sasuke. "Sasuke, he may need your help for some of them."

"Obviously." The Alpha nodded.

"Good. Naruto. I'd like you to get into yoga."

The blond blinked. "You're joking right?"

"I am not."

"Uh, Granny, I weigh four hundred pounds!"

"Hardly. Nothing too extreme, just try to get some time upside down, okay? I would also like you to start doing pelvic tilts, and swimming. We just need a little of gravity's help lifting the baby's bum out of the pelvis. If your son comes out breach, it won't be pleasant."

"Aren't you, not supposed to tell me that?"

"I think it's good motivation. It won't be pleasant for you, but the baby won't suffer. All it means is your son is coming out ass first, so his legs will be folded up by his belly. The feet will have to come out with the torso."

Sasuke shuddered, trying to shove that image the fuck out of his mind.

"It's fine. You won't be worse-off in the long run if he ends up breach, but I'd like to know that we did everything we could.

\-------

Sasuke opened his eyes. It was silent, and dark. Something was wrong. Naruto shifted next to him, and another waft of what had woken the Alpha up hit him. Before he had time to freak out, the door slammed open, four year old Menma standing there in his dino footsie pj's. The Alpha locked eyes for half a second before Menma spoke.

"Baby."

Sasuke nodded.

Naruto groaned through another contraction in the back of the car.

"I'm telling you bastard, ngh! It's fucking creepy that you both knew before I was even awake!"

"Shut up and breathe." Sasuke shot back, pushing 90 in a 60 zone.

"Oh, You wanna talk about breathing?!" Naruto snapped. "I'LL TEACH YOU A FUCKING THING OR TWO ABOUT BREATHING!"

"Sorry. We're almost there."

"FUhuck!"

"Naruto, I'm trying."

""Try harder!"" Menma seemed to agree with Naruto.

Swerving into the parking lot, Sasuke threw open the back door, unbuckling Menma's booster seat, and lifting him out while Naruto got his own ass up.

"Tsunade!" Sasuke yelled as he caught the doctor passing by.

Swiveling around, she saw the couple, and swore, turning to Shizune and whispering a few things before ushering them along.

"You know, if I hadn't known you through Sakura, you'd have to wait like everyone else."

"But you do know us through Sakura, so let's go!"

"Naruto's coming with me. You're waiting here. Keep the kid with you, you have him to think about this time. Alright brat, let's go."

"Fuck you!"

"Would you rather do this off of drugs? 'Cause I can make that happen."

Naruto shut up right quick.

The next few hours were fuzzy to all involved. Sasuke stiffened when he heard Tsunade yell, "He's breach!"

The rest was screaming. Naruto screaming. Also Sasuke trying to convince his son that the people inside were helping the omega, not hurting him.

Two heads of raven hair, one spiking everywhere, and the other only in the back, shot up when the door opened. Tsunade looked grim, and Sasuke just about lost it.

"Well," She began. "That mate of yours is pissed."

Sasuke frowned. "Why?"

"Go see for yourself."

The Alpha pushed open the door hesitantly, only to be met with a glare from his bonded love.

"I can't believe you did this to my child."

Sniffing around for disdain, the raven relaxed, only finding gentle humor, pure love, and a minor disbelief.

"What?"

Sasuke made his way over to the little bundle in his mother's arms, peering to see inside the blanket. When he caught a glance at his son, he blinked. Then snorted.

Naruto smelled irritated. "Yeah, uhuh, laugh it up. Stupid Uchiha genes."

"Oh come on, it's not that bad." Sasuke chuckled. "May I hold him?"

Naruto raised a golden brow. "Why you askin' me? He's yours too. Gimme the other one."

Menma peered up at his mother in the hospital bed, wide blue eyes blinking. Sasuke lifted him gently up next to Naruto, crawling closer when beconned. The omega smiled at his son, showing the child his new brother. "Menma, meet Kyo." The four year old looked for a long time at his brother, gently sniffing the air around him. "When you get older, you'll be able to tell just by scent what-"

"Alpha."

Naruto blinked as Menma's smile shone bright. "W-what?"

Sasuke huffed in amusement. "Well, aren't you a little prodigy. Guess it runs in the family."

"Keep it up asshole. See if you ever sleep on the bed again."

Wisely; not wanting to sleep on the couch for another week (never again), the Uchiha kept his mouth shut. Menma Touched his brother's cheek in wonder. 

"Good mo'ning Kyo."

"Do you want to hold him Menma?" Naruto brushed a bit of the elder boy's hair out of his eyes as he nodded. "Okay. Be careful."

As Menma sat cross legged with Kyo in his lap, Kiba burst in. "Where's the pup?!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, thinking how lucky it was for the mutt that they were a pack. Had anyone else burst in like that, they'd be on the floor in an instant, fangs at their throat.

"Hey mutt." He drawled.

"Hey prissy." The grinning Beta shot back.

Shikamaru strolled in, sighing. "You two are children."

Kiba shook his head, pointing to the bed. "No, those two are children." He advanced, reaching for the little one. "Children that _I_ want to hold." Menma stood carefully, taking a few cautious steps to the edge of the bed, where Kiba could comfortably lift him, hands under his arms. "Good god kid, you're gettin' big."

Menma pouted. "I am not! I'm just the wight size! this is Kyo. He's new."

The Beta chuckled, holding both of the Uchiha brats with practised ease. One look at the baby, and Kiba just about dropped them in his fits of giggles. "H-holy shit! Who knew that duck-ass hairstyle was hereditary!"

Naruto pouted. "Is is really noticeable?"

"Fuck yeah! Carbon copy of the ice princess himself!"

"Mutt. I'll advise you to watch your language around my children."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry man."

"Hn."

"Hey Menma."

"Mh?"

"Now ya gotta protect Mama _and_ Kyo, right?"

"Mhm."

"You think you can do it?"

Menma beamed. "Menma is Mommy's protector! Kyo's too! Daddy protects Menma!"

Kiba and Sasuke shared a surprisingly docile look. " 'sat so?"

"It is."

\-------

A scream rang out in the darkness, startling the occupants of the house awake.

"Sasuke." Naruto pleaded.

"I got him baby."

The sheets rustled as the Alpha got up, and there were soft shushing sounds from the other room. When the child was quiet, Sasuke brought him in with a soft, "Let's go see Mama."

Naruto sat up, waiting for his baby. A smile spread across his face as his mate entered. The blond would never get over seeing the love of his life holding a tiny little Alpha, like it was the most precious thing in the world. The gentle way Sasuke cradled Kyo was so cute, and Naruto loved it. "Hey baby." He cooed as his son was placed in his arms. "Daddy change your diaper?" A tiny gurgle was all he got as a response, but a fist reached up to brush a little, raven, duck-butt hairdo, and brilliant blue eyes fluttered open. "Just like your brother." The omega sighed. "My god, you are just beautiful." 

A soft knock sounded at the open door, and two pairs of eyes looked up to see a sheepish looking Menma rubbing tears out of his eyes with a plump fist.

"Hey love." Naruto smiled. "What's up?"

The Alpha sniffed, swallowing thickly before answering. "Nightmare."

Sasuke walked over to lift his pup, wiping his chubby cheeks fondly. "Good job coming to us watashi no kishi. When you need help we'll be there for you."

Blue eyes blinked sleepily. "Mhm. Daddy scare off the bad guys."

"That's right. Do you want to say hi to your brother?"

Menma gasped, nodding. Sasuke obliged, placing his son by his mate, and crawling into bed beside them. Menma pet Kyo's hair, telling him an intricate story about a prince, who found a beautiful beyond words omega. The omega was lonely, and the prince whisked her off to his kingdom, but on their way, they were attacked. When the prince tried to tell the omega to get behind him, he found she'd already taken out two of their opponents, (here, he would always mention her flowing blond hair, and eyes like the sea) and he would quickly jump into battle alongside her; the two coming together to make an unstoppable team.

Naruto loved his pup's stories, and quickly found himself tiring. The four fell asleep like that; Naruto with his arms around his pups, and head on Sasuke's chest, resting in his strong arms.

\-------

Kyo stood in his play pen onshaky, small legs, rocking back and forth, while holding onto the wooden railing. Menma was playing beside his brother's enclosure, showing him toys every now and again while their parents sat watching TV.

It was about two episodes in that Sasuke and Naruto noticed a scuffle. Their five year old was holding onto a toy dinosaur with a distressed look on his face while Kyo tried desperately to shove it into his ever-curious, one year old mouth. Menma let loose a loud whine, and raised a fist, bringing it down hard on his sibling's head. Naruto paused the TV, while Sasuke stood.

""Menma!""

Sasuke lifted the Alpha up, slinging him over his shoulder, and spanking him twice, hard. Menma let out a scream, and began to cry, pounding his fists on his sire's back. Sasuke stopped that right quick; grabbing the back of his son's shirt, and lifting him up to face level. Even Naruto winced as the Uchiha's Alpha voice rang out.

 **"You. Do. Not. _Hit."_** Sasuke spat, not batting an eye as his pup whimpered, and curled in on himself. "You'd best thank your lucky stars that it wasn't your mother you hit."

The Alpha put his child in his room, turning off the light, closing the blinds, telling him, "Fifteen minutes." and closing the door harshly.

When he reentered the living room, he found Naruto holding Kyo on his lap. The baby eyed the dino toy in his hands with a calculating expression, seemingly inspecting it. Before Sasuke could say a word, the child threw the toy to the floor, a disappointed frown on his pouty lips. The Alpha looked confused for a few seconds, before opening his mouth.

"Usutonkachi."

Sasuke's mouth dropped open, and a hand clapped over his lips to stifle laughter. Naruto blinked. Then stared. Then turned to his mate.

"Was my child's first word what I think it was?"

Sasuke couldn't hold back a snort. "Well it sure as hell wasn't 'mama.'"

Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously, and his scent turned stale.

"You have five seconds to start running. If you use your legs as much as that foul mouth of yours, it shouldn't be hard at all."

Sasuke didn't wait around to see if his mate was bluffing. In five seconds, he quickly realized he was not.

\-------

Naruto held Menma's hand as they walked down the isle in the store, pushing the cart in which the now two year old Kyo sat, kicking his blue footsie-pajama clad legs. The six year old was constantly pulling things off the shelf and asking to buy them, and Naruto would have to politely decline. They weren't made of money after all. Sasuke turned up beside him, placing a few items in the cart, when someone tapped the raven's shoulder. He spun around to see a blushing omega; her red glasses halfway down her nose as she tucked her equally vibrant hair behind her ear.

"Um, hello." She smiled.

Kyo fussed in the cart, so Naruto picked him up, and set him down next to his brother.

Sasuke frowned at the woman, smelling of a sickly sweet omega, and far too much perfume. "Hello?"

The lady blushed when the deep baritone of Sasuke's voice rang out, and Naruto had to suppress a growl. If this person was one of Sasuke's friends, he didn't want to offend her. Just as a precaution though, he checked to make sure both of their mated scars were visible. Yup. The woman seemed to notice this as well, and scowled for a moment before fixing her dress over her boobs, and smiling.

"Uh, I'm sorry. This is going to sound stupid, but... I just couldn't help but see you in the other isle, and I just think it's so sweet that you would do this sort of thing. I'm Karin, by the by." She gushed.

Dark eyes slotted. "What sort of thing?"

"Well, you know." Karin gave Naruto a less than impressed once-over, turning to the boys. "Helping out the... less fortunate. Omega who... find themselves, erm... less than what they thought they were? It's so tragic how many omega are left alone with pups."

Naruto gaped, unsure of whether to beat this woman to a pulp, or laugh his ass off. Sasuke seemed more than happy to carry out the former, and his pups weren't far behind. Menma took a step forwards, flaring his scent with unmistakable hostile intent.

"Mama's not alone." He growled, low in his throat.

Kyo stepped forth as well, mimicking his sibling's glare. "Papa would nevew weave! Mena an' Ko hewp too!"

Naruto swelled with pride as Sasuke delivered the final blow to the far too bold omega. **"I suggest you think twice about showing your face here again, or approaching an obviously mated couple."** He growled, Alpha voice causing a few onlookers to cower, along with Karin. **"You have five seconds to start running away from my omega, and my pups before I rip your fucking throat out with my bare hands."**

Nothing more needed to be said. The omega scampered down the isle, head bowed in shame. Sasuke turned to his mate, scenting him for any signs of distress. When none were found, the Alpha let out a sigh, and rested their foreheads together.

Naruto's omega preened under the raw affection, and he nuzzled Sasuke's neck, mumbling out a hushed, "Thank you Alpha."

Menma and Kyo were practically glowing; pushing up against their parents, and asking how they did.

Naruto placed Menma on his hip, and Sasuke tossed Kyo in the air, earning a delighted shriek from the toddler.

"You two did amazing."

"Daddy and I are so so proud."

\-------

"Oi! Menma!" The seventeen year old whirled around to cuff his little brother on the back of his duck-assed head. 

"Baka!" He humphed. "I told you not to sneak up on me like that!."

"Ma! Menma called me an idiot!"

Naruto stuck his head out of the kitchen. "Did you deserve it?"

The thirteen year old shrugged. "Probably."

Menma cackled as he snatched Kyo's backpack, and bolted.

"Oi! Usuratonkatchi! Get back here! I'm gonna be late for school!"

Naruto's gaze darkened. "Never say that word." He hissed. "Not ever."

Kyo took off after his brother, calling over his shoulder, "I don't know what it is with you and me saying that! Menma says it all the time!"

"Yeah, but Menma's first word was cookie!"

Kyo watched his idiot big brother skid to a halt in front of a tall, dark haired man. Menma stood there silently, but Kyo barreled past him, thudding into the man with an enthusiastic, "Dad!"

"Hey kid." Sasuke patted his pup on the head. "Hey Menma. Whatchya got there?"

The Alpha swallowed thickly, handing over Kyo's bag. The two stared at each other for a silent few seconds, before a wicked grin broke out on Menma's face. Sasuke mirrored this, lifting the bag.

"Go long!" Menma was already running.

"Mooooom!" Kyo whined.

"Nu-uh! you're on your own!"

A loud 'Ahem' brought a few sets of eyes to the door, where a redheaded boy with pale lavender eyes, and his hair in a man-bun stood next to a shaggy-haired teen lounging against the door frame.

"Yo, Menma." The teen yawned. "Come on. Kakashi-sensei's gonna beat our asses. Hey uncle Sasuke."

"Hi Shikaro."

"Naruto-san!" The redhead called out.

"What's up Namuki?!"

"Ya got cookies?!"

The blond emerged, holding a bag. "Kyo gets three. No more."

The child raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "Take it up with Iruka-sensei. He's the one who wants them. Kyo-chan." A soft blush dusted the pale boy's cheeks as the littlest Uchiha leaned down for a kiss. 

"I know. One sec." Turning to his brother, he lunged, grappling his bag away from him.

"Oi! Come back here brat!"

"Your girlfriend's outside." Kyo shot back, grabbing the hand of the boy next to him.

"Shit, is she?!" Sure enough, a pink haired girl stood outside, her dark, slanted eyes identical to her little brother's who was the enthusiastic weirdo in Kyo's class.

Shikaro groaned. "Teriko's out there too. Troublesome. Why are we in relationships again?"

Menma chuckled. "Well Sareiko's amazing." He glanced at the glowering blond outside, nodding at her little cousin and Kyo as they passed. "Teriko's the spitting image of her mother, I don't know how you're still in one piece."

Naruto shoved his son. "Go to school! Your Dad and I never get the same day off work, we're booked!."

"Ugh! Gross Ma! Keep it in the bedroom!"

"No promises!"

Menma turned to Sasuke. "I want a list of surfaces I should never touch again."

"Careful what you ask for. Shikaro, can-"

"He'll stay with me. I'll get Kyo too."

"Sweet. Menma,"

"Knock. Yeah. I've learned."

Naruto smiled as his eldest disappeared from view, and strong arms encircled his waist. Blue eyes widened innocently, and he twisted in the grasp.

"Uhm, I-I'm sorry. I'm looking for an Uchiha-sama? Could you perhaps point me in the right direction?"

Sasuke's fangs flashed as his handsome face lit up with a charming smile. "I think I could help you out." He steered them to the bedroom. "It's not often something as pretty as you shows up around here."

"OH MY GOD! IT'S FUCKING 8:30 IN THE MORNING! KEEP IT IN YOUR PANTS!"

"WHY AREN'T YOU AT SCHOOL?!"

"I FORGOT MY FRICKING PHONE! Come on Namuki, We're leaving."

"My parents say those things too before wrestling."

"They're not wrestling. They're fucking."

""LANGUAGE!""

"Oh, screw off! Or screw each other if it makes ya feel better, but do it when I'm not home!"

"Ahn! Sasuke!"

"Fuck yes..."

"EW! EW EW EW EW EW!!!! I GET IT! I'M OUTTA HERE!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? How'd ya like it? Sorry if it was a bit long (I don't know if it kinda dragged on or not)  
> Also! I didn't abandon you, I got grounded for a week, and my computer was confiscated. That may happen from time to time, I'm a real smartass with my parents, and they tend to take no bullshit.
> 
> Leave a request if there's a sasunaru plot you wanna read but can't find!  
> Lots of love cinnamon buns, I'll see you in the next chapter!


	15. Can't we be Broken together?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke lets his anger get the better of him, and says some regrettable shit... but what else is new?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! This request stuff is going better than I'd hoped. Today we have a lovely request from idkman359, and it was a really fun one to write (though I feel like it's not my best quality) I really hope it was what you were looking for! Thank you for all your support on this story!  
> Enjoy!!!

Uchiha was a dead name. Sasuke had lost... well, everything. Not just his family, but his _sense_ of family bonds. The way he saw other mothers, and siblings, and fathers together was no longer genuine. Everywhere he looked as he trudged through a village that no longer meant anything to him he saw deceit, and masks, and plastic households. Sakura was not truly in love with him, Kakashi was not truly late because of small chores, the village did not truly feel he was innocent for his clan's massacre. No, his name was tainted. Buried with the bodies of his people who haunt his dreams at night. The one person who Sasuke could simply not find any loose seams on, happened to be a loudmouth, kind, hyperactive blond who followed in his teacher's footsteps whenever he could. 

Naruto put Sasuke off. While Kakashi had never outright said the blond was special, it was clear in the way he spoke. The way he let him off with a warning when he did something dumb whereas Sasuke 'should have known better.' It was frustrating, and even Iruka favoured the youngest member of team 7. To put it frankly; it was bullshit. Naruto had it all. Sure, he was a bit lacking in the family department, but he'd never known anything else! Sasuke's parents were slaughtered in front of his eyes. Naruto had never known the warmth of family, thus had grown up accustomed to the cold. Sasuke was left bare and shivering in an unfamiliar wasteland of trauma, and loneliness. It was almost suffocating. When he saw Naruto laugh with such a genuine smile, his fists would clench at his sides. Even with a family, Sasuke had never laughed like that, so what gave this weak fool of a child the right to do so?

That's what he was. A child.

A snort brought Sasuke out of his thoughts, and he spared his team a glance from where he'd been throwing kunai at a target. Sakura was smiling sweetly at their blond companion, who was drawing in the dirt with his own blade, laughing at some of the content. The remaining Uchiha felt his blood boil, but he forced his face to stay uninterested.

"Oi, Dobe. Start practicing. If you never take anything seriously, you'll die the first time you're stuck in battle."

A pout formed on the tanned child's lips, and he glared. "What's it to you Teme?"

"My score is added to yours for the team's success rate. I want a good mark."

"Keh." Naruto crossed his arms, and Sasuke lost interest. This was no longer a fight, just an excuse out of training. How is this boy so fucking carefree when there were murderers like Itachi in the world? "I'ts always grades with you! Why don't you fight me, huh? We'll settle this once and for all!"

"Come fight me when your heart is as broken as mine."

Oddly enough, Naruto didn't respond. He simply gave Sakura a brilliant smile, and walked off to train.

The next few weeks passed uneventfully. Team 7 trained, Naruto and Sasuke bickered, Sakura squealed over Sasuke's every move. Sasuke found himself scowling every time he caught a smile on that idiot's face. 

'What's he got to be so happy about?'

Truly, if asked, Sasuke couldn't be sure what exactly about Naruto made him so angry. The boy was living his best life, he supposed, and Sasuke's had been ripped from his hands with a bloody sword, and a dark empty pit. A pit that, had he stopped to read the signs, he would recognise as depression.

Naruto entered the ramen stall with a grin, waving at his teammate. Sasuke huffed, but otherwise ignored him.

"Oooooi!" The younger boy whined. "Why are you so mopey all the time?"

"I'm not mopey."

"But you are!" Naruto settled onto the stool beside him, ordering, and turning back to him. "You always look like the whole world is your enemy! You should take every chance you have to make a friend. Not just someone you need, but someone who needs you. My friends all talk to me, because it makes them feel like they aren't alone. So c'mon Sasuke, talk!"

"But I _am_ alone!" The raven slammed his fist on the table. "You have no right to say you know anything about me! You're obviously happy about your friends, and shit you call bonds, but I don't have time for ridiculous technicalities like people who use me to vent."

Blue eyes blinked, the smile slipping from thinning lips. "Don't you dare..." Naruto began. "Don't you talk about my friends like they're dogs that I keep around on leashes! Each and every one of my friends means the world to me, and if that's something you don't get, then fine! But you do _not_ get to say that the bonds I've made through sweat and tears are worth less than what you wipe off the bottom of your shoe!"

"Sweat and tears?" Sasuke scoffed. "You have no idea what it's like to sit around in your house, not having the words to say how much pain your in. You haven't laid awake for nights on end, having to change the pillow every day because it's soaked through. You give those speeches to Inari, and Haku, and Zabuza, and even Konohamaru like you know everything they're going through. Everyone from our class defends you, and you think you're alone?! _Bullshit!"_ A few pants escaped before the orphan continued. "Until your heart has hurt so much you almost stop it, you have no right to tell me you know anything about me, or the shit that I've gone through. No one that broken smiles as fucking happy-go-lucky as you do."

Naruto was looking down, his bangs covering his eyes.

"You're right." His voice was raw, but not apologetic. "Goodbye Sasuke. Feel free to have my ramen."

"Tch, I care more about my body than you seem to. I'll pass."

Naruto was already walking away.

The blond truly hadn't been able to respond when Sasuke lashed out. Of course he knew that the Uchiha had had a rough time, which of course he knew was an understatement, but under no circumstances did he ever expect the stoic, dark, locked up boy to be so honest. Nor did he expect to be so angry. His friends had brought him back from the edge countless times, and for that, he would readily repay them with his life, which is his only because of them. He would not stand idly by while Sasuke told him his relationships meant nothing.

A chuckle brought Naruto's eyes up to see a few men in front of him. A sigh escaped his lips. He was really not in the mood for this today.

"Well!" One of the men grinned. Naruto counted four. None particularly out of the ordinary in the way of looks, but the stench of alcohol they emitted made his nose smart and his eyes water. "If it isn't the nine tailed _fox!"_ He emphasized this last word with a punch in the gut, one that had Naruto glad he hadn't eaten anything before hand.The darkness of the late evening meant that passerbys were unlikely. The blond slumped to his knees, hoping one hit would be enough. As used to this as he was, he was hurting emotionally, and needed to go home. As the second fist collided with his jaw, and the metallic taste of blood flowed from his lips, spattering on the dirt below, Naruto's eyes dropped half-mast, whilst he retreated back into his safe place. It didn't completely dispel the pain, but it certainly helped block the worst of it.

Again and again, he was beaten to the ground, and lifted back up by his hair. His ribs were aching, and his limbs were bruised, and there was blood all over his skin, but the cuts would heal, and the pain would fade. Kurama would make sure of that. When there was thirty seconds with no blows, Naruto tentatively emerged into the forefront of his consciousness. He blinked up at the men with wide, teary blue eyes, his cheeks hot with shame, and the effort of suppressing his cries. A hand on his chin made him wince, and he looked up to see a different man this time. The way his thin lips parted in a sinister grin made his stomach churn.

"You're a pretty little thing, aren't you?"

What the _fuck?_

Naruto panted, trying hard not to hyperventilate. He thought hard back to all the other beatings he'd gotten, but nothing like this had ever happened. Was he apologizing? Closing his eyes against the soft feel of the thumb on his cheek, Naruto decided it felt alright. That was when a hand snaked into his hair, fingers coiling around the strands, and reeling him in, so his face was pressed against the front of denim jeans. He blinked, unsure of how to react. A thumb wormed its way into his mouth, and he opened it hesitantly. Then a hand began working on the man's belt, and it hit him all at once. Panic flooded through every ounce of his being, and he writhed in the vice-like grip, trying without success to swat away two pairs of hands going for his wrists. Panicked tears streamed down tanned cheeks, and he let out a hoarse scream.

"Don't touch me! Stop it! Get away from me!" His pleas fell on deaf ears, and the light at the end of his tunnel was waning with the hope of escape. A shudder raced up his spine as his heart slammed into his chest, screams that no longer sounded like his own blending with pitiful pleas. Then he felt it. A familiar chakra like a breath of fresh air had him gasping, and a deep voice rang out loud and clear, dripping with an animalistic rage.

 **"Get, your hands, _off_ of him."** The voice sent chills through the air, and the commanding grip on Naruto's wrists and hair vanished. The blond was too distraught to really see what happened next, but within a few minutes he was in a new area close to his home, and blood stained his left sleeve. He was moving swiftly, strong arms keeping him close to a smallish body, and he felt the tendrils of fear begin to lap at the base of his gut once more.

Sasuke was forced to slow when his teammate began to writhe, pushing away from his savior like he was burned. The raven stopped on a roof, leaning the smaller boy against a section of wall protruding from the tiles. Presumably a bedroom or something. Naruto's eyes were sharp, and wide with fear, never once leaving Sasuke unsupervised. Said boy reached out to placed a hand on an orange-clad shoulder, but was slapped away violently, a breaking voice snapping out,

"Don't touch me!"

"Okay! Okay." Sasuke lifted his hands in a sign of innocence. "I won't."

Naruto stood on shaky legs. "I'm going home."

"Are you-"

"I'm fine!" 

Sasuke swallowed thickly, confusion still swimming in his mind. "Naruto. Before, when they were... hitting you. You didn't fight back. I know you could have wiped the floor with them, so... why didn't you?"

Blue eyes raked over the Uchiha's form, seemingly weighing anger for not being rescued, and understanding for the raven's hesitation at rushing into a battle that was purposely not being fought.

"It doesn't matter. There's always another one."

Before Sasuke could reply, he was alone.

Naruto shook violently, his arms hugging himself tightly as he whispered to himself over and over that he was okay. The softness of his bed had felt too foreign beneath him, so he'd relocated to the bathroom, sitting beneath the window in a vain attempt to get fresh air.

It wasn't that he really knew what would've happened, but Iruka sensei had drilled into his head that people touching you in strange places, or making you touch them, was not okay. He was distraught, and had to focus on breathing, but he was alright. Sasuke had come. Sasuke had saved him. A small smile ghosted the blond's lips. Sasuke knew how it felt. They were no longer alone.

Sasuke needed to think. Naruto was clearly not new to this. He'd taken the beating like a champ, and evidently expected them all the time.

"Fuck, what am I doing?" He breathed, swinging around in the direction of his friend's house for the second time that night. When he arrived, he scoped out the area, noting the only window open, and slipping through to see Naruto sobbing on the floor. "Naruto." He forgoed the nickname, and the boy scrambled back, only relaxing when he saw the intruder.

"Sasuke?" 

The Uchiha stepped up to his teammate, and crouched down, inspecting an ugly gash on his cheek. Without a word, he pulled out a healing mix, and gently applied it. 

"What-"

"Take off your shirt." Naruto shuddered, and Sasuke rephrased. "I need to heal the bruises and cuts on your chest." Taking Naruto's hand in his clean one, he offered a vulnerable, sincere, gaze. "I promise, Dobe."

Naruto swallowed, heart fluttering at every gentle touch. Sasuke's hands halted over the traitorous, beating muscle, and a small smile fell upon his lips. "Why are you scared, Naruto?" He helped the smaller to stand. "You're more than safe. Now get some rest. You'll be healed in the morning." Blue eyes softened, and Naruto nodded.

Sasuke stood guard that whole night. Was this just, what Naruto's life was like? Constant fear of being beaten within an inch of his life by the village he calls home? Why the hell would they-

 ***Brat*** (Imma start doing it in bold)

Sasuke's head jerked up and he looked around. The fuck?

***Your friend, dumbass, I don't have all day.***

The Uchiha whipped around to see Naruto, still laying on his bed, but the whisker scars on his cheeks had grown... feral. Sasuke had to suppress a gasp when he saw the other boy's eyes though. Blood red, and slitted like an animal's.

"Who are you? Where's Naruto?"

***Relax, he's sleeping. I'm healing him.***

White fangs slid into view as the... whatever this was spoke.

"I repeat, who are you?"

***I am many people's worst nightmare, and the tool of a select few.***

"That doesn't help me." Sasuke deadpanned.

***Boy, have you ever heard of the nine tailed fox?***

"Sure, everyone has. The fourth Hokage died killing it years ago."

***Wrong. The fourth Hokage sealed it. Sealed it in a baby. This baby.***

Sasuke blinked. "I don't follow."

Red eyes rolled. ***I am the nine tailed fox. Your friend, however dumb he may be, is my vessel. You were wondering why he's so hated in your hometown. This is why. Before you go off on one of those 'You caused him so much pain' tangents, know that I like it about as much as he and you.***

Obsidian eyes flickered over the form of his sleeping friend, weighing the possibility of this being the truth. As much as he hated it, it was entirely possible. The ugly stares, the apparent beatings, the hush hush about Naruto's past... pale hands dragged down Sasuke's face.

"Fuck, this is crazy."

***Be that as it may, all that shit you said to him at that shitty ramen stall was way over the line. Naruto knows pain like you've never known before, and he's still strong enough to plaster a smile on his face. He told me it's better to start the day with a smile, fake or not, and let it get real through the day. Sometimes he stands at the mirror for ten minutes just trying to smile through his tears.***

Sasuke swallowed a lump in his throat. "I didn't Kno-ow." He winced when his voice cracked. 

***Knowing or not, you don't have the right to put anyone in categories based on how broken you think they are... He's wearing off on me, isn't he?***

The Uchiha huffed a laugh. "Don't take it personally. He wears off on everyone."

***You're taking this awfully well.***

"Yeah, well... What do you want me to say? I don't believe you? I do. I've seen it sometimes in the way he fights. The way he moves with an inhuman grace, and deadly precision. The way I'll catch him grinning when he's about to be killed, and the way he heals faster than any other person I know. You've just answered all of those why's, so why would I turn a blind eye to what's literally right in front of me?"

red eyes scanned him. ***I like you.***

"Thank you?"

***However, I see you're just as idiotic as he is.***

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

The facial expression on the kyuubi vessel changed to an unreadable, hesitant one, looking as though he wanted to say, but couldn't. ***Not my place.*** He settled on.

Before Sasuke could so much as frown, the fangs had shrunk, the whiskers calmed, and the red eyes fluttered back to sleep. Dark eyes observed the sleeping blond with an unjustified ache in his chest, lingering a little longer than necessary over slightly parted, plump, pink lips.

"Fuck." He whispered for the third time that night, running slender fingers through his sleek, blue-black hair. "What is wrong with me?" Leaning in slowly, the Uchiha noted the gentle smell of the forest they were surrounded by, seeped into Naruto's being after countless training sessions in the woods. Soft lips touched gently against warm, unsuspecting ones, so light it could hardly be a kiss... but it was. It was a kiss, as much as the sky is blue, and when that hits him he reels back, and presses the back of his hand tight against his lips, his burning cheeks the only evidence of the bright red line he's just crossed. Swearing, Sasuke turned, sliding out the window and going to the roof.

Blue eyes slipped open, just a crack, and tan cheeks ignited as Naruto ran his fingertips over his lips, one thought present in his sleep-hazed mind.

'I feel warm and fuzzy...'

Team 7's relationship got weird from then on out. Sasuke was now making a conscious effort to stay away from Naruto, but when he spoke to the blond his words didn't bite. In fact, just the opposite. Once a week, Sasuke would come over to check on any fresh wounds, and cussed out the kyuubi when the weren't healing fast enough. The first time he'd done it, Naruto had nearly leaped out of his skin, but Sasuke told him to 'sit the fuck back down' and the two proceeded to have a very long, tiring conversation about how Sasuke knew, and that 'no, he doesn't hate Naruto at all, and the village is filled with stupid idiots for doing so in the first place.'

Naruto was unclear on the message that the kiss had given him, and wasn't really sure if he was hoping for a message. Spending excessive amounts of time together still grated on their nerves, and often wound up in a yelling match, but suddenly the thought of kissing Sasuke wasn't as horrific as it had originally been, back when they'd endured that sloppy, gross, accidental kiss in the academy. Now, the thought of kissing Sasuke brought him back to laying in bed, when all of a sudden, ridiculously soft lips descended on his, and a warm feeling arose in his chest, and flooded through his entire body, and made him not as irritable as he usually was when Sasuke beat him at something. Sometimes, the warm feeling sparked a burning heat somewhere below his stomach, and he had to excuse himself for an embarrassingly quick run to the bathroom.

The tension between the boys had Sakura quieter than usual, and she stuck to Naruto's side often, indulging in light conversation. She seemed to sense that something was off, and Naruto would sometimes have to wave off questions about whether or not they were okay. The one time she'd asked Sasuke if Naruto was okay, the Uchiha had grabbed her by the shoulders, looked her in the eye, and asked, "Why? What happened?" She never asked again.

Kakashi never really seemed surprised when Naruto had first come to him for questions, and didn't seem to mind when Sasuke did the same. After a while he'd started checking up on the two to see how their relationship was going so he could report back to Iruka.

The day he told Kiba, as irrelevant as that was, was the unload. Where finally, _finally_ , he got something off his chest, and a weight was lifted, clearing the way for endless possibilities.

"Wait..." Kiba halted in the middle of the road, and Naruto turned to face him. "Wait..." He repeated.

"I'm waiting dog breath."

"So you're saying that the prissy-ass Uchiha looks like Hinata?"

"No! I just mean... I don't know, he's kind of... pretty? I guess?"

The brunette shook his head. "No no no, _Hinata_ is pretty. This is Uchiha we're talking about. Always glaring, stick-up-the-ass, _Uchiha._ "

"Well-" 

"Naruto." The boys whirled to face the object of their conversation, who frowned. "I need to talk to you."

"Sure!" The blond piped.

Nobody moved. " _Alone._ "

"Oh! Kiba, could you...?"

"Eh? Seriously? Fine, have fun with him pretty boy, I want him back in one piece."

Sasuke gave him an odd look, but nodded all the same.

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

Dark eyes darted around the busy street. "Not here. Uchiha compound."

Naruto blinked, but said nothing. He knew that place was important to Sasuke, and something fluttered in his chest when he thought about being brought there.

Sasuke stood silently, looking awkward. Blue eyes darted everywhere but in front of him as he waited for the Uchiha to speak.

Finally, he opened his mouth.

"I'm sorry."

Naruto's jaw dropped. If he had to name two words that he would never hear Sasuke say, 'I'm sorry' would come right after 'I'm ugly.'

"Why?"

Sasuke bit his lip, and pushed up Naruto's sleeve, revealing a new bruise. "I can't stop it." He swallowed thickly. "I know you're getting hurt, and I can't do a damn thing about it. What I said... back the day..." An unspoken 'you know' was exchanged. "It was stupid, and rash, and... definitely not true."

"Hah. I'll say."

The taller boy winced, but didn't comment. "I think it's me that doesn't understand what you're going through, because I lost my family a long time ago. You... you get beaten every day for something you didn't even do. So I'm apologizing. I'm saying sorry, because I've racked my brain, and I can't find anything to do to make it better, so I've been trying to be there for you, because that's another thing. You were never taught how to cope. I was. I'm sorry I downplayed your situation, and if there's anything, _anything_ that I can-"

"Why does one of us have to be worse off?" The smaller boy frowned. "Can't we just be broken together?"

Naruto grasped Sasuke's shirt in both hands, pulling him forwards with a little more force than necessary. Ever heard that saying, third time's the charm? The second their lips collided, the air around them shifted. Sasuke regained all that confidence, and walked forwards until Naruto's back touched a wall, and even with as much possibility as there was, it was a chaste kiss. There was no time for teenage raging hormones, because this kiss was an apology like no other, and a timeless 'I forgive you.' It was a question, and an answer, and relief on both ends, and their fast-paced lips were almost dancing, and their heart beats were writing the song, and not a damn thing in the world could ruin this.

"Oh Shit! Should I come back?" The two froze for an instant, before Naruto broke out into cackles, and even Sasuke chuckled a bit. It didn't matter. What had needed to be said had been said. Kiba was still eyeing them with a slightly horrified gaze. "No but... really. Should I..."

"It's fine Kiba." Naruto slipped his hand into Sasuke's "It's all fine now."

The brunette swiped his tongue over his lips, and nodded slowly, his eyes going to their joint hands. "Is this... new? Or are you just super good at-"

"It's new." Sasuke cut him off, keeping his thumb moving on the back of Naruto's hand.

"Right... and... We're okay?"

The Uchiha pointedly let his free hand linger by his shuriken holster. "Unless you've got a problem."

Kiba stepped back, hands shooting out in front if him. "No problem! No problem! Er, congratulations?"

Naruto beamed, lowering the tension by a mile. "Thanks!"

And that was that. Nothing truly changed. Team 7 regained their normal dynamic, only Sakura was now obsessing over the couple. In time, Naruto showed just how loyal he really was, and began to wake up with a smile. A smile Sasuke had the pleasure of kissing goodmorning, and brightening with occasional pancake breakfasts. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto became inseparable, and when the eldest was thinking of leaving to avenge his clan, they held him back.

'Avenge it here' they told him. 'You hate your brother for killing his family. So create a new legacy at home.'

As the rookie nine grew up, and began taking on more dangerous missions, Sasuke and Naruto would spend countless hours just thanking the gods they were on the same team, and often went out together. Kiba was the one who enjoyed sending them out to random places which were far more romantic to not be dates, and after a while, Sasuke warmed up to him. The boys were the only gening of their peers, for the simple reason that they'd been too late, and missed signing up. Yes, sex was well and good, but it comes with a price, apparently. Tsunade suspended them, and while they were still bumped up to chunin level missions, they weren't allowed to take the test again for three years, which had originally been five, but Kakashi had saved their asses... sort of.

So team 7 was still team 7, and Sasuke and Naruto still fought like cats and dogs, but those fights usually ended with a very smug Uchiha, and a _very_ sore Uzumaki.

Life was alright... until they caught wind of Akatsuki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe, I'mma let you come up with what happens next. Now, I appear to have hit some sort of writer's block, but it does not mean I won't be posting! I believe I have simply been reading too much Iwaoi (Iwaizumi x Oikawa) and my heart is there right now. My work may not be the best it's ever been, but I will try my damndest, because this is my OTP damnit, and I will keep the people happy!
> 
> As always, drop a comment if you have a request!
> 
> Lots of love cinnamon buns, I couldn't do it without you!


	16. My Leave of Absence

Hello all of my wonderful readers!

So today I have an announcement. Please note that this will not be a chapter, and will be deleted when I post the next chapter of this story. Essentially, I will be taking a leave of absence. This leave will definitely not be over four weeks, and it does NOT mean I'm stopping the story. I've simply lost some inspiration, so I need some time to binge watch Naruto until I've re-lit my 'will of fire.' Trust me, it'll happen, this has happened before, and all it took was shippuden. As such, if any of you are wanting to reach me, I still get notifications here! You can comment here, PM me, or find me on wattpad with the same username. I do write a lot at home, so I may post some things I already have written out just to keep you busy.

Once again, this probably won't even take a month, so... Hang tight?

PLEASE DO NOT STOP ASKING FOR STORIES!!!! I need to be spammed with requests! Anything that might give me even a sliver of inspiration will mean everything in the world to me!

I love you all so so much, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

Thank you for your patience! I'm sorry for the wait :3

All the love in the world my cinnamon buns!

Take care.


	17. Just to Hear Your Voice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto's feeling lonely, and needs to talk to someone. Not just anyone though...
> 
> (I thought it'd be fun, since I call my best friend when I feel this way. It's always enough to just talk with her for a bit.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well! I've recently remembered that while I have been back at writing my Mafia AU (Check it out, it's SasuNaru) I've neglected this. Here's a short chapter while I'm writing my next request. "Cooking adventures."  
> It was too good to pass up.
> 
> Thanks for your patience cinnamon buns!  
> Enjoy!

Naruto swallows thickly when he feels it. The beginnings of a deep sorrow worming its way into his stomach, and heart. It wasn't like he could control it. He had mixed feelings about what to do when it happened, because he knew he couldn't say anything to anyone. Why? Well, truthfully he couldn't tell you that either. All he knew was that the smile would slip from his face, and an unbearable emptiness would creep into his being. Sometimes it felt heavy. Others, it was just... a hole. He politely excused himself from his group of friends, wandering into a foreign corner of their small village. This was where the mixed feelings came. He knew that he didn't want to sound dramatic, or worry his friends, and he couldn't smile at times like this, so he walked away to be by himself, even though the last thing he wanted was to be alone.

Blue eyes scanned the buildings around him, watching abandoned buildings, and broken things that were once precious to someone. Sitting underneath an old overhang, he let a sigh tumble past his lips. Fingers reached to the pocket where he knew he'd find the last thing he had of his best friend. A cell phone. One that had sat on his kitchen table the night he came home after the rogue nin's departure, a note scrawled in painfully familiar handwriting resting atop the device.

 _Don't abuse_ it. was all it had said, with a number just below. Naruto had called this number twice, in his three years without Sasuke. Neither times, had the boy picked up, but his simple _"If you're calling, then you're a moron, or a Dobe. leave a message, if I feel like it I'll call back."_ Had been enough. He'd never called back though...

Trembling hands tapped the numbers on the screen, tears already clouding his vision. His heart beat loudly in his ears, and he felt nauseous. He didn't know why...

Why did the thought that Sasuke was too far to touch make him ache?

Why did the fact that Sasuke wasn't with him make him feel so alone? 

Why would he go to such lengths just to be disappointed?

The answer to why he would walk to the ends of the Earth came when an unfamiliar click sounded. 

Then...

"Why are you always calling me?"

_Just to hear your voice..._

The dam broke, then. His long-suffered loneliness shattered by the smooth baritone that flooded his mind. A choked sob wrenched past his lips and a hand reached up to cover them, undeterred by warm tears spilling down his cheeks. Sasuke was here. Everything was going to be okay. He wasn't alone anymore. In that moment, Naruto's chest felt so full he thought it just might burst. He could almost feel the raven's arms, an unspoken promise that he'd never be let go.

"...Dobe?" Sasuke was concerned. He could hear it. "What's wrong?"

Though he knew his long lost love couldn't see it, the blond shook his head. A sad little laugh putting from his chest. "Nothing." He breathed, the smallest hint of a smile on his lips. "Not anymore."

"Naruto?" There it was again. He cared. Tan fingers grabbed the Uchiha symbol dangling from his neck, right by the blue crystal Tsunade'd given him. Of course he cared. "You can tell me anything you know..."

"Not when you don't pick up the phone you jerk." He huffed weakly.

"I... Dobe, there's something wrong, I can hear you crying."

Blue eyes darted to the sky. "I just needed to hear your voice." The teenager sniffed. "That's all."

"..." A soft huff reached Naruto's ears. The huff that Sasuke made when silent tears rolled downs his cheeks, and he was pissed because he couldn't get them to stop. The huff that only Naruto knew. "Yeah." The smallest waver broke his words. "Yeah, I get that."

"When are you coming home?"

"I don't know, Dobe. Sometime soon."

"It better be Teme... I miss you an awful lot."

"I know. I knew you would when I left."

"Then why did you leave?!"

"... Because I didn't think _I_ was going to miss you this much."

"Hah... you're a dumbass."

"... I know."

"Wow. The great Uchiha admi-"

"Shut up Usuratonkachi."

So he did. 

The two sat and talked for hours. Neither wanting to end the call. When Sakura came looking for Naruto, and Kabuto for Sasuke, the two reluctantly said their goodbyes. 

Obsidian eyes had long since dried. The tears had shocked even him. Sasuke exhaled, throwing one last glace at the cell phone on his bed. 

_How could I have known that's all I needed? That's all it took not to feel so empty?_

_It's all I could've asked for, Dobe._

_... just to hear your voice._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What'd ya think?! 
> 
> Thanks for reading cinnamon buns! I'll be back with kitchen chaos soon!


End file.
